Elephant Chained for 50 years Cries Tears of Joy After Being Freed

[Monroe]

Another sad animal story ... hard to read this story and not feel sorry for Raju ... can't imagine this going on for 50 years.

 

 

"The squad raided the farm in India's Uttar Pradesh region, where Raju — who'd been regularly beaten and abused by his owners, who used him to beg for money — was being kept.

 

And they claim that, as they liberated him from his manacles, he openly wept because he realized that his half-century ordeal was coming to an end.

 

"Raju was in chains 24 hours a day, an act of intolerable cruelty. The team were astounded to see tears roll down his face during the rescue," Wildlife SOS-UK's Pooja Binepal said."

 

There are pictures at the article link ...

 

 

Elephant who was chained for 50 years cries tears of joy after being freed in India

 

July 7, 2014

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/elephant-chained-50-years-cries-freed-india-article-1.1857195

 

 An elephant who'd been shackled with spiked chains for his entire 50-year life cried tears of joy when he was finally freed from his horrific captivity.

 

Raju had water streaming down his face as a daring team of rescuers swooped in on Wednesday night to release him from his confinement in India.

 

Vets and wildlife experts from the British-based Wildlife SOS-UK were joined by 20 Forestry Commission officers and two cops in the dangerous nighttime operation.

 

The squad raided the farm in India's Uttar Pradesh region, where Raju — who'd been regularly beaten and abused by his owners, who used him to beg for money — was being kept.

 

And they claim that, as they liberated him from his manacles, he openly wept because he realized that his half-century ordeal was coming to an end.

 

"Raju was in chains 24 hours a day, an act of intolerable cruelty. The team were astounded to see tears roll down his face during the rescue," Wildlife SOS-UK's Pooja Binepal said.

 

"It was incredibly emotional. We knew in our hearts he realized he was being freed," Binepal added.

 

 Raju, believed to have been snatched from his mom as a young calf, is thought to have had 27 owners —and was being used as a "beggars' prop" from dawn until dusk.

 

The rescue mission took place a year to the day after the charity had been alerted to Raju's plight by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.

 

A court order allowed rescuers to seize the giant animal, but Raju's owner refused to give him up.

 

Deciding enough was enough, and seeing the terrible suffering that the elephant was enduring, rescuers approached Wednesday night with a truck.

 

They loaded the sedated bull onto the back before driving him 350 miles to the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre at Mathura, where his shackles were removed.

 

There, Raju took his first steps to freedom at 12.01 a.m. July 4 — America's Independence Day.

 

[larryb123456]

Thanks so much, monroe, for posting this.

 

I've seen other stories and videos like this, which prove that animals are very sensitive creatures with definite deeply-felt emotions.

 

The video below, showing cows jumping for joy after being allowed to go to the pasture after being kept in the barn all winter, almost made me cry.

 

Man's insensitivity and cruelty to his fellow man and the Earth are deplorable, and his insensitivity and cruelty to animals are even more deplorable, IMO, since the poor creatures can't defend themselves.

 

Here's the video -- (in this video, there isn't cruelty, since these cows have been saved from slaughter, but the video definitely shows how they feel emotion) -- and there are more like this on YouTube:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgIUJM0nKRk

Edited July 9, 2014 by larryb123456

[Monroe]

larryb123456 ... thank you for posting the video, I had not heard that story and just watching those "happy cows" going to the green pasture, the video says it all. They may be just cows but they do feel emotion, as you say ... and want to enjoy "life" as we all do.

 

So many sad animal stories out there but some do have a happy ending ... I hope the elephant Raju can salvage some really good years of a happy life and having other elephants for company.

 

Here is an elephant story from a few weeks ago that does not have a happy ending ... Kenya at the weekend revealed the loss of an “old friend” known as Satao ... I read one story that the elephant seem to sense that he was in danger from having large tusks ... perhaps from seeing what had happened to other elephants, his friends. He would seem to try and hide his tusks. His age estimates seem to be from 45 to 50 years.

 

From one article:

 

Conservationists told how Satao moved from bush to bush always keeping his ivory hidden amongst the foliage. “I’m convinced he did that to hide his tusks from humans, he had an awareness that they were a danger to him,” said Mark Deeble, a documentary maker who has spent long periods filming the elephant. Satao’s killing is the latest in a surge of elephant poaching across Africa.

 

... there are pictures at both links below.

 

Kenya’s famous bull elephant Satao slain in Tsavo by poachers with poison arrows

 

June 16, 2014

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/kenyas-famous-bull-elephant-satao-slain-in-tsavo-by-poachers-with-poison-arrows/story-e6frfq80-1226955859080

 

ONE of Africa’s largest and best-known elephants has died after being shot by poachers using poisoned arrows.

 

Wildlife officials in Kenya at the weekend revealed the loss of the “old friend” known as Satao, who was famed for his giant tusks — the big-money target for his killers.

 

The bull animal, who was aged around 45, was slain in May in Kenya’s vast southeastern Tsavo national park.

 

He was thought to have been the continent’s biggest elephant — or certainly one of them — which would make him the largest wild land mammal in the world. His tusks were so large they could drag on the ground.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

Satao, one of Africa’s largest elephants, killed by poachers for ivory tusks weighing more than 45 kg

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/06/15/satao-one-of-africas-largest-elephants-killed-by-poachers-for-ivory-tusks-weighing-more-than-45-kg/

 

One of Africa's last "great tuskers", elephants with ivory weighing more than 45 kilograms, has been poisoned by poachers in Kenya.

 

The bull, named Satao, and likely to have been born in the late 1960s, succumbed to wounds from poison darts in a remote corner of Tsavo National Park, where he had migrated to find fresh water after recent storms.

 

Yesterday, his carcass lay with its face and great tusks hacked off, four legs splayed where he fell, left only for the vultures and the scavengers.

...

[Monroe]

The article on Raju has been updated with a new link that has a video and more pictures.

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2682388/Incredible-sight-elephant-cried-Raju-held-chains-beaten-abused-fifty-years-day-released-tears-rolled-face.html

 

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.

 

 

 

 

[larryb123456]

Thanks, monroe. The story about Satao was on the NBC or MSNBC news a while back. So sad, indeed. The story touched me deeply.

 

There will be a special place in Hell for all those poachers, where they can spend an eternity, amidst the flames, anally penetrated by reciprocating 8-foot elephant tusks.

 

I think all the illegal poachers, when caught, should have their penises cut off.

 

The Bible says, "An eye for an eye", and my solution says, in effect, "An extension for an extension."

 

I think I should stop now, since I think I'm beginning to sound like MSFN member ROTS (whose posts I always enjoy reading because of their uninhibited linguistic poetry).

 

And many thanks for the update on the happy (finally) story about Raju.

Edited July 9, 2014 by larryb123456

[NoelC]

Touching story.  Don't worry, cruel people will land in hell, and before that we can only imagine how empty their lives must be, devoid of all feeling and caring.

 

My wife and I haven't eaten meat or bought leather for over 20 years now.  We rescue animals when we can, raise orphans, and return them to the wild when they're up to it.  There's altogether too little caring in the world for all the wonderful living things we're blessed to share this Earth with.

 

 

-Noel

[larryb123456]

Bless you and your wife, Noel.

If only there were more people like you two, the world would be in a much better situation.

 

And it's great to see your picture, Noel. You are a very handsome specimen.

 

But I have a question:

What is the name of the bearded gentleman upon whose shoulder you are standing?

[NoelC]

I just call him "Quack"

 

 

-Noel

[Monroe]

NoelC ... glad to hear about you and your wife "running" an animal rescue service. Lots of satisfaction when an injured animal recovers or an orphan finds a home.

 

Looking at your picture ... wasn't sure if the duck was real ... maybe just a very nice carved wood duck. I think I see a Christmas tree or holiday decorations in the back. So Quack the duck is real and a friend of the family !

Edited July 10, 2014 by monroe

[NoelC]

Actually I'm the one he calls "Quack".  We call him Quacky.  And yes, he's real.  His mother was attacked on her nest in the night (we didn't find her, but found blood nearby).  We figured a fox or raccoon got her, and many of the eggs.  We saved the several eggs that weren't broken and incubated them.  Unfortunately most didn't hatch - they'd probably gotten too cold, but one did.  Here he is less than a day old.

 

 

He's thriving in the wild.  We see him from time to time, last time was about 4 days ago.  Unlike the other mallards he'll come right up to us and let us pick him up, since he imprinted on me and my son.  In two weeks he'll be 8 years old.  We're sure he's the father to several broods as he has been top duck around here for many years.  I call that a success story.

 

-Noel

 

[larryb123456]

You say,  "I call that a success story."

 

And I call you a success story, Noel!

[Monroe]

NoelC ... an amazing story about Quacky and the one egg that hatched. He never knew his mother or sibilings but he carried on for them to live a pretty good life so far.

 

Like the photo of little Quacky ... hard to believe 8 years have have passed and he still comes around for a visit. Wonder how long a duck in the wild can live ... he seems to have a leg up on survival.

 

Very nice story ... hope Quacky has many more years to come and visit.

 

 

[jaclaz]

Nice pics and nice story. 

 

jaclaz

[ROTS]

1. Noel story made more sense then the Elephant story.

In my family, actually rescued a baby bird, and we released it, and it flew on the shoulder of near by runner. The runner was shocked. It was becoming more and more tamed towards to us. Even washed it head ( where it had fell from a tree ). I wish I could have done it again, but I am so afraid, and lazy to do so.

2. Enough with the UK, and the July 4 bs...........we have a problem with privacy, and freedoms that still needs to be corrected from 2001. That is all I want to hear about outside nations of this India thing.

3. An Elephant crying........ I wish that could be a story, I could respect, but here is the thing. An Elephant is like saying an Dolphin, Seal/Sealion, or Parrot. You get my drift. But this is not a story at all. The way I see it, is that unless their was illegal activities going on, that was against animal rights. I do not really see the need to seize the animal from the owner. All I really see, is an animal conservationist group, that either GOT PERMISSION FROM THE GOVERMENT OF INDIA to seize the persons animal.

I mean if the man used the elephant to beg for money, that is his business. If he was to beat the elephant for some reason, that again is his business. Their are tons of elephants in circuses getting treated a lot more miserable then this one fellow. So I really fail to see the need for the ANIMAL RESCUE. You want animal rescue they could go to any nearby circus and watch how they treat the animals behind stages.

4. I mean great the elephant cried the moment he was freed into another prison, called a reserve. I mean OMGSH INDIA SUCH HARSH CONDITIONS. I do like the fact the elephant was freed. But I do not like the idea that they made it such a big deal. Again if I could I would have given the elephant to an wild life preserve as well, but here is my question.

In his nation, was the owner of the elephant in his rights???? THAT IS THE BIGGEST QUESTION I WANT TO HEAR ANSWERED?????

The story could have been adjusted that a persons property was violated by PETA, and had his elephant stolen. People visited the property earlier that day the owner said. They were mostly tourist looking folks. A couple of hours the man was held hostage as they stole his animals.

Again was he in the rank of the law of his nation???

I do not like animal cruelty but this is India, not an urban setting, were people keep pet tigers, monkeys, ferrets, and other oversize big animals.

Edited July 11, 2014 by ROTS

[larryb123456]

Thanks for expressing your opinions, ROTS.

 

It seems that now we have these situations characterized, from the yin to the yang.