Nine elephants who survived the grim and punishing assaults of being forcibly captured from the wild and then endured the harrowing training methods for elephant back safaris at a Zimbabwe ranch—with its sickening smell of human injustice, along with chains, severe deprivation, and torturous taming methods—were rescued in an elation-bringing moment by the Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals (ZNSPCA) and have now been released into Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Fully recovered from injuries incurred during the breaking and training process, radio collars for tracking reveals the elephants are now forming new bonds as a herd, and socializing well with one another in the intricately unified and sophisticated world of elephant social groups.

IDA, along with other animal organizations, is providing funding support for this miraculous effort. With its long and successful history of working strenuously on behalf of these gregarious and highly intelligent beings in the U.S. and abroad, IDA dedicates itself to the protection of their habitats and supporting the banning of future capture of wild elephants in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. The nine elephants are now being looked upon as the ambassadors for the Zimbabwe elephants in the wild, and IDA is committed to the worthy efforts of ZNSPCA in its championing of these elephants, from their terrible wounds and scars through their jubilant new freedom and beyond.

Click here to see pictures from the dramatic rescue and release, and go here to see what you can do to support IDA’s elephant campaigns.