Tikiri, an ailing 70-year-old elephant whose pictures triggered outrage on social media after she was forced to participate in an annual Buddhist pageant in Sri Lanka, has died, officials told AFP on Wednesday. The animal’s participation in the annual Temple of the Tooth event in Sri Lanka’s city of Kandy was withdrawn last month after pictures of the feeble elephant started doing the rounds on social media.

The Sri Lankan government has now ordered an autopsy of Tikiri, who died on Tuesday night in Kegalle, 80 km east of Colombo, a wildlife department official said. “Tikiri was severely undernourished,” elephant expert Jayantha Jayewardene said. “It is a wonder that she lived this long.”

Founder of Save Elephant Foundation Lek Chailert took to Instagram after the elephant’s death. “That hard service was her life, and not freedom, carries for me a commitment to others who yet suffer,” Chailert said. “That we could not help her before her eyes would shut forever fosters a renewed courage, and bears a responsibility for us to find safe refuges for all of the captive Giants born under the yoke of Man.”

Tikiri was among 60 other elephants who are annually forced to march at the Perahera festival in Kandy. In August, the foundation had posted pictures of the animal, pointing to her mistreatment. The pictures showed her weak body covered with a colourful costume.

A spokesperson of the Buddhist temple that organised the event claimed that her illness had not “affected her strength and abilities”. Sri Lanka’s tourism minister had later told BBC that her participation would be withdrawn. Tikiri was finally handed over to her keeper.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said that elephants in Sri Lanka faced similar or worse treatment “in service to an exploitative and abusive tourism industry”. Last month, PETA Director Elisa Allen told CNN that tourists who visit the country could help the elephants by refusing to ride them and avoiding any activities that involved mistreatment to the animals.

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The sad news is just out tonight that Tikiri passed away this evening. There is both sorrow and relief here. To think of her brings such pain to my heart. That hard service was her life, and not freedom, carries for me a commitment to others who yet suffer. That we could not help her before her eyes would shut forever fosters a renewed courage, and bears a responsibility for us to find safe refuges for all of the captive Giants born under the yoke of Man. What we wished for Tikiri, even a few days of freedom with love and care, we will demand for others. The day that I met Tikiri, her eyes locked with mine, telling me all that I needed to know. Her own fear and anger and sorrow is now part of that longer memory of her kind which should bear us no affection. Tikiri's suffering has ended, her soul is now free. No more harm can come to her. RIP dear Tikiri. Never look back to this world so cruel toward you and your friends. หลังจากที่ล้มครั้งแล้วครั้งเล่า มาตอนเย็นนี้ทิคคิรีก็ได้จากโลกนี้ไปอย่างทุกข์ทรมาน เธอไม่มีโอกาสที่จะได้เห็นอิสรภาพก่อนเธอตาย เธอไม่เคยได้สัมผัสความรักจากมนุษย์ก่อนที่ดวงตาคู่นั้นของเธอจะปิดสนิท วันที่ดิฉันได้พบกับทิคคิรีที่ศรีลังกา และตัดสินใจนำเรื่องของเธอสู่สายตาชาวโลก ดวงตาคู่นั้นของเธอมันบอกทุกอย่างในความรู้สึกที่เธอมี ดิฉันรู้สึกสัมผัสถึงความกลัว โกรธ ความเจ็บปวด และความหมดหวังของเธอ หลับให้สบายนะทิคคิรีวันนี้เป็นอิสระแล้ว ไม่ต้องเป็นทาสใครอีกต่อไป มองไปข้างหน้าอย่าหันหลังกลับมามอง โลกนี้ที่มีแต่การทารุนกรรม เกิดมาอีกทีอย่าเกิดมาเป็นช้างให้คนทารุนกรรมอีก #saveelephantfoundation #bekindtoanimals #bekindtoelephants #elephant

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