Have you ever heard the story of Raju? Well, for those of who don’t know Raju, he is the elephant who was rescued after being in chains for over 5 decades, and he was crying tears of joy when he was rescued. The heartbreaking story of this rescue went viral, and since then, there have been lots of changes, and for Raju, the change was for the better.
The video which went viral in 2014, shows Raju a year after his dramatic rescue. After being rescued back in 2014, Raju spent the next year at the Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura from the streets of Allahabad, and he learnt how to lead a peaceful and happy life. The best thing and the most important takeaway is that he started to love and trust humans again. Raju’s amazing transformation is proof enough that elephants are enduring and strong animals. It also shows that elephants have the power to overcome anything that no one should ever experience.
When Raju was saved and set free by a group of caring people, the happiness he felt was evident in his face, and is indescribable, and this was a heart-warming moment for everyone. In an interview with Press-people, Pooja Binepal, from Wildlife SOS UK had this to say: “It was incredibly emotional. The team were astounded to see tears roll down his face during the rescue. We knew in our hearts he realized 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 he had been through for half a century.”
Thanks to the group of caring people, Raju got his happily ever after, and is now able to live his final years peacefully and in happiness. Whatever said and done, not all elephants have the happy ending that Raju got. There are hundreds and thousands of elephants who are being kept in captivity by those whose only mindset is to make profit.
More info/credit: wildlifesos.org ,presspeople, buzzfeed
