As we've learned in the past, it doesn't
get much sadder than seeing an elephant cry.
Unless that elephant just got set
free after 50 years of painful captivity.
Such is the case for Raju, an
animal who had been held in spiked chains, often beaten or otherwise abused
until the organization Wildlife SOS conducted a midnight rescue mission to save
the elephant from the Uttar Pradesh area in India.
In darkness on July 4, a group of
veterinarians and wildlife experts freed Raju from his horrible existence,
watching in awe and heartbreak as the creature cried tears of joy at the scene.
Raju is now free. This poor elephant
was held captive and tortured for over five decades.
"Raju has spent the past 50
years living a pitiful existence in chains 24 hours a day, an act of
intolerable cruelty," Wildlife SOS spokesperson Pooja Binepal said.
"The team were astounded to see tears roll down his face during the
rescue. It was so incredibly emotional for all of us. We knew in our hearts he
realized he was being freed."
He lived without regular shelter,
only eating what pedestrians passing by would give him.
"The chains around his legs had
spikes which were cutting into his flesh - and each time he moved pus would
ooze out of wounds. Pain and brutality were all he knew. His cruel handler even
tore out the hair from his tail to sell as good luck charms," Binepal
says. "The exploitation and abuse just had to stop."
Wildlife SOS brought Raju 350 miles
away to the charity's Elephant Conservation and Care Centre at Mathura.
He was fed there, given a bath and
he now “knows what freedom is,” Pooja says. “He will learn what kindness feels
like and what it's like to not suffer any more."
Once Raju is rehabilitated, he will
join two other elephants the charity has saved, living out his days in peace
and happiness.
Says Binepal: "We all had
tears in our eyes as the last rope, which held the final spike, was cut - and
Raju took his first steps of freedom."
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