AGRA: 60-year-old Elephant 'Sita' from Tamil Nadu suffered chronic foot problems and senility and a team of five veterinarians at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center gave her long term medical treatment and monitored her care.On Thursday night Sita's condition suddenly became critical and she gently sat down and breathed her last at 2.30 am. She had been at the Mathura center for almost 18 months since she was rescued by Wildlife SOS from Tamil Nadu where she was found to be in very poor health and critical medical condition.In November 2015, Wildlife SOS rescued two performing elephants Sita and Mia from a circus in Tamil Nadu. Nearly five decades in captivity had left both the female elephants riddled with severe and chronic ailments such as painfully damaged footpads and cuticles with severe abscesses along with severe psychological trauma.Sita the older of the two, was nearly 60 years old and her pitiable condition was testament to her years of mishandling and improper care. Her preliminary veterinary assessment on arrival at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, Mathura showed that Sita was suffering from a condition known as ankylosis in the joints of both her forelimbs, one of which had incurred a fracture during her time in captivity that had never been allowed to heal. As a result of this debility and a neglect of her foot care, her feet were in extremely poor condition — her nails and footpads were overgrown and cracked.The issues with her feet made it impossible for her to lie down and get any rest, which is why the Wildlife SOS team created a special enclosure for her with padded walls, a bed of gunny sacks and a support pole to allow her some support and rest. She was being treated for her foot abscesses and overgrown footpads, and being given regular painkillers and antibiotics, along with supplements for her kidney and liver which showed compromised functioning due to malnutrition and dehydration while in captivity.The post-mortem was conducted in the presence of forest officials and government veterinarian. Details of post mortem report are awaited. Dr. Ilayaraja, deputy director, veterinary - Wildlife SOS, said "Multiple organ failure caused by impaired circulation due to her severe senility is suspected to be the main cause of mortality,""Sita is a family member for all of us at Wildlife SOS and today we have lost an important member of our family. She has been an inspiration for all of us. We are very sad by this loss." expressed Geeta Seshamani , co-founder Wildlife SOSBaiju Raj, director, conservation projects said, "Sita has left behind invaluable memories for us. We will all miss her strong presence terribly."Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder, Wildlife SOS said, "We are so honoured to have been a part of Sita's life, and to have had the chance to do whatever we could to make her life easier and less painful. Sita will always be for us a gut-wrenching reminder of how elephants suffer in captivity and why it is critical to prevent other elephants from suffering similarly. She will live on in our hearts"

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