16 July 2026.

Thuli is very happy today. For years and years, she has been chained and made to carry people, helping humans earn money. Her days have been filled with walking, not because she wanted to, but because humans wanted her to. Sometimes, Thuli thinks about her mother. Her mother was a wild, free elephant. She walked wherever she wished, rested when she was tired, and chose where to go. She never had to feel the pain of a hook or a chain. She was free.

Thuli does not remember much about her own childhood. When she was little, people loved how cute she was. They would call her, smile at her, and offer her food whenever she passed their shops. But as Thuli grew older, everything changed. She was given a work schedule. She had to walk for hours, carrying people on her back, even when her body was tired and her feet hurt. Not because she wanted to walk, but because someone told her to.

Thuli often wondered, “Do they know that I can feel pain too?” More than anything, Thuli was worried about her daughter, Champa. She never wanted Champa to live the same life. Then, one day, Thuli heard some wonderful news!

Some people had noticed her suffering. They understood that elephants are not machines, rides, or things to be bought and sold. Elephants are sentient beings. They feel pain. They feel fear. They feel joy. They remember. They love. These kind people had reached out to others and asked them to stop treating Thuli and other captive elephants as commodities, and to start treating them with the dignity and compassion they deserve.

The news says: “…using elephants merely as tools for entertainment or tourism is incompatible with our obligation towards their value and welfare as living beings”

When Thuli heard the news, tears rolled gently down her face. This time, they were tears of hope.

Bhunte and Sanu, who had been watching Thuli and the other elephants, were overjoyed too. Sanu knew the story of elephants being used to carry humans, and she understood why this moment was so important! Perhaps, one day, Champa would not have to carry anyone. Perhaps, one day, she would be free to walk because she wanted to walk. And perhaps, one day, every elephant would be allowed to live as an elephant, not as a ride, not as a worker, not as a commodity, but as a living, feeling being!

This World Elephant Day, let us create a world where every elephant can simply be an elephant!

Not a commodity. Not a machine. Not a ride. But an elephant!

(As a creator of Bhunte, I thank and congratulate all Nepalese people, people who fought for the cause, and the Supreme Court of Nepal for taking this wonderful decision. Let elephants in captivity be treated as per their biological needs and let them be elephants forever!)