An elephant who was held in abusive captivity for 50 years, cried tears of relief as he was being released during a daring rescue mission last week - on Independence Day, no less. Some of the details in this story may be distressing for some readers, but we promise you that there’s a happy ending.
Last July, London-based animal charity Wildlife SOS were contacted by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department in India, bringing their attention to Raju, an elephant who was suffering terribly at the hands of his owner, surviving on scraps from passersby and close to dying.
As Raju’s owner didn’t have any legal documentation for him, Wildlife SOS could go through the process of rescuing the elephant, but it was going to take time to go through the courts.
But last week, a year after originally finding out about Raju, a team of 10 wildlife experts and vets, as well as 20 forestry department officers and six police officers, were finally able to rescue him in a secret mission that took place under the cover of darkness - the fewer people around, the better, and it meant that Raju would be protected from the Indian sun.
Wildlife SOS-UK spokesperson Pooja Binepal said that not much is known about Raju’s years as a calf, but it is believed that he was snatched from his mother at a very young age. In lots of cases, poachers either kill the mother elephant for her child, or drive a herd over traps that are only small enough for calves to fall into. These poor creatures are then tied and beaten until their spirit is broken and they submit to their new owner.
The charity believes that Raju had been sold on repeatedly, having around 27 owners in his lifetime, each one treating him as a mere commodity and tourist attraction to raise money. All the while, Raju was chained up with spiked shackles permanently digging into his sore skin, bloody and infected.
As soon as the court order for the elephant’s rescue was issued, the team - led by Wildlife SOS founder Kartick Satyanarayan - swept in for two days of surveillance and planning before launching the mission. They saw that Raju had no shelter at night and was being used from sun-up to sun-down to beg from tourists.
He was in such a state of exhaustion and hunger from not being fed properly that tourists had started giving him scraps of food, of which Raju would eat the paper and plastic wrappings as well. “His nails are severely overgrown,” added Binepal. “He has abscesses and wounds because of the shackles, and continually walking on a tarmac road has led to his foot pads overgrowing.”
The team realised that Raju’s situation had become so desperate that they needed to act as quickly as possible, and decided to launch the rescue a day earlier than planned.
“[Raju’s] cruel handler even tore out hair from his tail to sell as good luck charms,” said Satyanarayan. “The exploitation and abuse just had to stop.”
But as the team moved in, Raju’s owner decided he was going to get in the way and try to prevent the freedom the elephant so desperately deserved after 50 years of mistreatment. “[The owner] began to shout commands to terrify Raju,” Satyanarayan explained. “It created an incredibly dangerous situation, as a bull elephant could snap a human like a toothpick if he becomes afraid or angry.”
When scaring Raju didn’t work for the handler, constricting chains were wrapped around the elephant’s legs, cutting into them, to try and prevent him from moving.
But the team refused to step down - they were going to get Raju out of there no matter what.
Satyanarayan said it was as if Raju understood what was happening, as tears began to slide down the elephant's cheeks. “It was as if he felt hope for the first time in a very long time.”
With Raju’s owner hindering every step of the way, the team decided the removal of his shackles would have to wait until he was in safety so they brought their transportation truck as close to the elephant as possible, but it was still 200 yards (183m) for Raju to walk.
And as if knowing what he had to do, Raju calmly walked the distance to the truck, despite the agonising pain each step much have caused him. Once there, he was sedated and taken to the charity’s Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, 350 miles away.
“Incredibly, he stepped out of his truck and took his first step to freedom at one minute past midnight on July 4th, which felt extraordinarily fitting,” said Satyanarayan.
Raju was then able to feast upon bananas and leaves, mango, bread and biscuits, and plenty of fresh water. And when he had had his fill, head vet Dr Yaduraj Khadpekar and two handlers set to the terrible and wonderful process of removing those spiked shackles. It took 45 minutes in total, and as the final piece securing the last spike to Raju’s skin was removed, there was not a dry eye amongst those watching.
Asian elephants can live for up to 80 years in captivity, so it is hoped that Raju still has a few good decades left for him to finally enjoy his life, though he has a long rehabilitation process ahead of him. In time, he will hopefully learn that humans don’t have to mean fear and pain.
Satyanarayan explained that two other rehabilitated elephants will be able to show Raju how life is meant to be, and when he is rehabilitated himself he will be able to join the rest of the elephants at the sanctuary - “including five flirtatious females”.
“The team were astounded to see tears roll down [Raju’s] face during the rescue. It was so incredibly emotional for all of us,” said Binepal, describing elephants as both majestic and highly intelligent creatures. “Until we stepped in, he had never known what it is like to walk free of his shackles… But today he knows what freedom is and he will learn what kindness feels like and what it’s like to not suffer anymore.”
Wildlife SOS relies on contributions, and are hoping to raise £10,000 to help Raju settle into his new life of freedom. You can learn more about the charity or donate to Raju by clicking here .
No comments:
Post a Comment