An elephant, that had been wrapped in heavy chains and mistreated for a period of 50 years, began crying after he was finally saved from his struggles, reports the British Daily Mail.
The hapless Raju constantly had wounds on his legs due to the spiked shackles placed on him by his owner. After being captured by his owner, the elephant lived only off the little food thrown to him by tourists in Uttar Pradesh, India. That is the reason why the animal is exceptionally weak and visibly worn down.
After suffering all kinds of tortures for a period of half a century, Raju started crying after he was at last saved by an organization fighting for the protection of animal rights.
A year ago, the London-based wildlife protection organization Wildlife SOS, found out about the tortured Indian elephant and decided to deliver it from its woes.
Raju's owner forced him to extend his trunk and beg for money from passersby on a daily basis, while at the same time the elephant only received paper and plastic garbage for food.
Luckily for the elephant, however, last week it was finally freed from its terrible owner. A team of 10 veterinarians and wildlife experts, along with 20 forest rangers and 6 policemen combined their efforts to help the imprisoned elephant in Uttar Pradesh.
The secret rescue operation was carried out during the night, so as to endanger as few people as possible and to protect Raju from the scorching sun's rays.
According to the spokesperson of the organization, Pooja Binepal, the release of the elephant was highly dramatic and emotional.
"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. It was incredibly emotional. We knew in our hearts he realised he was being freed, " tells Binepal.
"Elephants are unique animals. They are highly intelligent and it has been proven that they can feel sorrow, " adds the spokesperson.
The elephant was rescued after his owner was unable to present any kinds of documents in court to prove that the animal was his property. It is unclear how Raju ended up with the ruthless man but the experts believe that he had been taken from his mother while he was still young.
