India's first elephant hospital has opened and people are rejoicing

This is One Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.

The first hospital for elephants opened in the holy Hindu town of Mathura in India last week— and it's kind of a big deal.

Designed for geriatric, sick, and injured elephants, the hospital — which spans over 12,000 square feet — is equipped with wireless digital X-Ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, tranquilization devices, and quarantine facilities, according to a Reuters report.

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So far, the elephant hospital is attracting both local and foreign tourists, eager to see all of the elephants that have entered into the facility and excited by the hospitals inauguration, Reuters reports.

Activists and folks online have showed a similar level of excitement:

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“I think by building a hospital we are underlining the fact that elephants need welfare measures as much as any other animal,” Co-founder of Wildlife SOS, the non-profit behind the hospital, Geeta Seshamani told Reuters.

Elephants are both cultural and religious symbols integral to India's culture and ecosystem, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Unfortunately, many end up in captivity, tortured by handlers ill-educated about elephant needs, forced out of their environments due to human development, or they fall prey to poachers.

On the endangered species list, the Indian elephant population is currently estimated at 20,000 to 25,000 — making it more important than ever to provide elephants with proper medical care.

Hopefully this hospital will help improve the lives and lifespans of the elephants admitted, and bring awareness to those unfamiliar with elephants' hardships in the wild.