IWN Report — Wednesday, 16 September 2026

Madhuri, the elephant long known in Kolhapur as Mahadevi, is being returned to her original custodians after 13 months at the Vantara rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar. The High-Powered Committee (HPC) overseeing captive elephants in Maharashtra ordered the move on 9 September, while also requiring strict safeguards: no public appearances, round‑the‑clock care, and medical examinations every two weeks conducted by Vantara’s veterinarians, who must file regular reports with authorities.

Madhuri was originally sent to Vantara in 2025 after concerns about her long-term living conditions at a Jain math in Nandani village were raised to the HPC by PETA India. Courts upheld the transfer, and Vantara says it accepted her only because it was ordered to. The organisation reports that her chronic ailments have stabilised with treatment but remain irreversible, and that it has already made improvements to her enclosure at Nandani within the site’s limits.

PETA India has criticised the new order, arguing that Madhuri’s return is unsafe and detrimental to her welfare given her medical needs, her decades of isolation at the math, and the social bonds she formed with other elephants at Vantara. The HPC’s decision reflects a balance of legal custodial rights, site inspections, and medical reports, while the conditions attached to her return indicate that her previous circumstances cannot resume without significant oversight.

Sources: Vantara, via The Hans India · ANI