For 58 long years, Indu endured quiet suffering and forced captivity. Torn from her wild family in Asia at just one year old, Indu was shipped across the globe and thrust into a life of isolation and servitude for human entertainment. For 26 years, she was confined at the Phoenix Zoo—alone for the last stretch of her life, without companionship, without choice.

Her life was marked by resilience in the face of deprivation. We are so grateful to In Defense of Animals supporters for making calls and signing our alert calling for her freedom. Despite these demands to retire her to a sanctuary, the Phoenix Zoo made the irreversible decision to end her life. Phoenix Zoo made our list of 10 Worst Zoos For Elephants for this cruel confinement of an old elephant who had “aged out” in zoo parlance, and should have been given a chance to heal in a true elephant retirement home in a pastoral, peaceful setting.

Instead of sanctuary, she was given death.

This came just weeks after the zoo publicly claimed she was doing “quite well,” even sharing a video of her playing in her shallow pool. Now, her death raises urgent and painful questions. Why was Indu killed? What changed? The public deserves transparency. The zoo must release her full medical records and necropsy report.

This memorial will honor Indu, not just for her endurance, but for the life she could have lived, had compassion prevailed. We will share more of her story, her history, and her enduring impact on those who knew her, loved her, and fought for her.

There’s a way to memorialize a magnificent soul.

We invite you to bring your memories, your thoughts, and your voice to her tribute. If you have a poem for Indu, please share it with us. Let us remember her not as a spectacle, but as the magnificent, wild soul she always was.

What: Virtual Memorial for Elephant Indu: Endured Captivity with Quiet Strength

When: Wednesday, July 9, 4 p.m. PT

Where: Register here to attend. Everyone who registers will receive a link to the video recording of the memorial.

Make calls and sign our alert here.

Share the memorial with friends on Facebook.