Elephant Was Held In Captivity For His Entire Life, Has Heartbreaking Reaction When He's Finally Freed

May 04, 2019

Although all animals are absolutely deserving of love, some animals pull at our heartstrings a little more than others. Animals that go through hardship due to the cruel actions of humans can especially leave a mark on us when we hear their stories. When it comes to elephants, they are one of the most mistreated species of animal on earth.

Although they are large, beautiful animals that are usually appreciated by the public, they are often treated in the most unfortunate ways by those that keep them in captivity. Sometimes, elephants are kept in shackles and chains that don’t allow them to live the lives they deserve. One elephant knows this side of life all too well.

When this old elephant was found, he had a lot of blood covering his body due to the spiked shackles that were chained on him. The elephant was clearly malnourished, as he was far too skinny for his species. The only food that this elephant had been fed were handouts from others that would pass him by.

The elephant would also regularly digest paper or plastic that was wrapping the food that he was fed. Naturally, the elephant was miserable from his inhumane lifestyle. His name is Raju, and he had been kept in chains for 50 years.

Through his lifetime, he had been sold on twenty-seven different occasions. The elephant was ready to give up hope for a better life.

Raju was captured when he was just a young infant and he never got to experience life as an elephant free from captivity. Raju spent all of his time begging for scraps from tourists that passed him. His routine was monotonous, humiliating, and felt like torture to him.

We have to wonder if this elephant ever hoped his life could be different. Thankfully, a North London charity called Wildlife SOS got wind of Raju’s story. They had to rescue the animal quickly as to avoid interference, so they brought 10 vets, wildlife experts, policemen, and forestry department officers on scene.

Once Raju was free, he began to welt with tears of joy, an act that astonished the rescue team and made everyone become emotional.

Raju’s owner was not happy about the elephant being set free and began to yell commands to try to provoke the elephant into harming the rescuers. But they cut the shackles from his legs and took him to a sanctuary despite all the odds. Once Raju got a taste of life with other elephants in a happy and safe place, he never looked back.

Although he has a long road of rehabilitation ahead of him, he will never be mistreated ever again. You can learn more about Raju’s story in the video above. What do you think about this poor elephant? Let us know in the comments and pass this inspiring story along!