An abused elephant is still living in horrendous conditions in captivity almost two years after Sir Paul McCartney spearheaded an apparently successful campaign to save it.

The Beatles legend was among a number of stars, including Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson, who took part in a 2012 drive to re-house Sunder the elephant in a sanctuary after he was discovered being abused in a temple near Mumbai, India.

The celebrities believed they had succeeded in securing the beast's transfer after sending personal letters to Indian officials, and they were told the elephant would soon be roaming free in a rescue centre near Bangalore, India.

However, bosses at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) have now revealed Sunder remains in the same poor conditions at the temple, where they recently filmed him being harshly beaten yet again.

Peta's Dr Manilal Valliyate says, "Sunder has only known chains, loneliness, darkness and beatings for at least half of his life. We look forward to the day that Sunder is unchained, in the company of other elephants, able to bathe in ponds."