SHANGRALA'S

ELEPHANT RESCUE 2!

These incredible pictures show the moment an elephant who was held in chains and beaten and abused for fifty years cried as he was released to freedom.       Raju the elephant was left bleeding from spiked shackles and living on hand-outs from passing tourists after he was captured and tied up by his 'owner'.       But, after 50 years of torture, the animal cried tears of relief after he was rescued by a wildlife charity in a daring midnight operation - fittingly on American Independence Day.       Here Is Raju's Incredible Rescue Story. Enjoy :)       Every day, Raju, a majestic male elephant, was forced to hold out his trunk and beg for a few coins from passers-by - surviving only on plastic and paper for food.       The elephant was left bleeding from spiked shackles and living on hand-outs from passing tourists after he was captured by his 'owner'.       Wildlife SOS vet Dr Yaduraj Khadpekar tries to free Raju from the chains which he was kept in for 50 years.       Wildlife SOS founder Kartick Satyanarayan said: 'The chains around his legs had spikes which were cutting into his flesh - and each time he moved puss would ooze out of wounds. Pain and brutality were all he knew'       '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 realised he was being freed.       'Elephants are not only majestic, but they are highly intelligent animals, who have been proven to have feelings of grief, so we can only imagine what torture half a century has been like for him.'       Once rescued, he was loaded into an open-top lorry, given additional sedation and escorted 350 miles to the charity's Elephant Conservation and Care Centre at Mathura       The daring rescue came exactly a year to the day since the charity was alerted to Raju's plight by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department in India       Ms Binepal said: 'The poachers either slaughter the mother, or they drive the herd into traps that are small enough only for the babies to fall into. The mother cries for her baby for days after he's been stolen - it is a sickening trade.       'The calves are then tied and beaten until they submit to their owners - their spirits are effectively broken.'       Pooja Binepal, the charity's UK spokesman, described the rescue as 'incredibly emotional' for the team.

Raju, after his release, with reformed former mahout Sonu Ali who will care for him at the sanctuary.       Over the weekend, Raju received emergency medical attention to his wounds as well as a bath and food.       'His cruel handler even tore out the hair from his tail to sell as good luck charms. The exploitation and abuse just had to stop.'       A Team from North London charity Wildlife SOS travelled to India to free the animal. 'We knew it was now or never so we made the drastic decision to move his transportation truck closer and then walk him 200 yards.       'Every step would have been agony, but we had to take him, or he could have vanished forever. We decided we'd remove the shackles once we'd got him to safety.'       'It was as if he knew we wanted to help him,' Mr Satyanarayan said.       'Incredibly he stepped out of his truck and took his first step to freedom at one minute past midnight on July 4th, which felt so extraordinarily fitting,' Mr Satyanarayan said.       'The other elephants in the sanctuary awoke from their sleep as we pulled in and came to have a look - it was an extraordinary moment.'       Raju was then fed bananas, banana leaves, mango and bread and biscuits and given water before the charity's head wildlife vet Dr Yaduraj Khadpekar began the painstaking process of removing his shackles.       Mr Satyanarayan said: 'It took him and two handlers 45 minutes to liberate him as they'd been wound round his legs to prevent their removal and to cause pain if anyone tried to take them off.       '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.       'The entire team were exhausted, but incredibly elated as he has suffered such unthinkable abuse and trauma for so, so long. He'd been beaten so badly, his spirit is broken.'

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SEE ALSO: Elephant Rescue 3!






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Special THANKS Goes To PHYLLIS SMITH (BUNNI) For Sharing This With Us.

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