For 50 years Raju the elephant was held in chains, beaten and
abused – a pitiful site with his legs bleeding from spiked shackles
and living on handouts from passing tourists, writes Sarah Arnold
in the Sunday People.
He was so hungry he would eat plastic and paper to fill his empty
stomach.
But last week animal charity workers swooped to save him
in a daring midnight rescue operation on the streets of India.
Some experts believe elephants cry when overcome with
emotion, just like humans.
And Raju’s rescuers insist the giant animal wept as he realised his
ordeal was coming to an end.
Pooja Binepal, of Wildlife SOS-UK, said: “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.
“Elephants are majestic and highly intelligent animals. We can only
imagine what torture the past half a century has been for him.
“Until we stepped in he’d 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.”
A 10-strong team of vets and wildlife experts from the charity,
based in Palmers Green, North London, were joined at midnight on
Thursday by 20 Forestry Commission officers and two policemen to
rescue Raju.
The mission took place under cover of darkness to avoid detection
and spare suffering Raju from the searing heat of the sun in the
Uttar Pradesh region of India.
It had been exactly a year since the charity was alerted to this
plight by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.
A confiscation process had gone through the courts before Raju was
seized.
Pooja explained: “Very little is known about his early years but we
believe he was poached from his mother as a young calf.
“The poachers either slaughter mothers or they drive the herd into
traps that are small enough only for the babies to fall into.
“The mother cries for her baby for days after he’s been stolen. It
is a sickening trade.
"The calves are then tied and beaten until they submit to their
owners. Their spirits are broken.
“Raju’s case was particularly tragic. He has been sold on and on.
We believe he has had up to 27 owners. By the time we found him he
was in a pathetic condition.
"He had no shelter at night and was used as a beggars’ prop from
dawn until dusk.
“He wasn’t fed properly and was in a state of hunger and
exhaustion. He began eating plastic and paper.
“His nails are severely overgrown, he has abscesses and wounds
because of his spiked shackles and continually walking on a Tarmac
road has led to his footpad overgrowing.”
Once a court order was issued, a team led by Wildlife SOS founder
Kartick Satyanarayan carried out two days of surveillance, fearing
Raju’s owner, known as a mahout, would flee.
Kartick explained: “We had to act quickly as his situation was so
desperate and the cruelty so extreme.
"The spikes on his chains were cutting into his flesh. Each time he
moved pus would ooze out of the wounds. Pain and brutality were all
he knew.
“His cruel handler even tore out the hair from his tail to sell as
good luck charms. The exploitation and abuse just had to
stop.”
But even as the mercy mission began, Raju’s owner tried to prevent
his rescue.
Kartick said: “He began to shout commands to terrify Raju and try
to provoke him. It created an incredibly dangerous situation
because a bull elephant can snap a human like a toothpick if he
becomes afraid or angry.
“Then he put chains around Raju’s legs in an attempt to stop us
moving him. They were so viciously tight they were cutting into his
legs.
“But we stood our ground and refused to back down. And as we did
so, tears began to roll down Raju’s face. Some no doubt were due to
the pain but he also seemed to sense that change was coming. He
felt hope for the first time.
“We knew it was now or never so we made the decision to move his
transportation truck closer and walk him 200 yards.
"Every step was agony but we had to take him. We decided to remove
the shackles after we’d got him to safety.”
Once the five-and-a-half-ton elephant was loaded on an open truck
and sedated, he was driven 350 miles to the charity’s Elephant
Conservation and Care Centre at Mathura.
Kartick said: “He took his first step to freedom at one minute past
midnight on July 4, US independence day. It felt fitting.
“The other elephants in the sanctuary woke up as we pulled in and
came to have a look. It was an extraordinary moment.”
Raju was fed bananas, banana leaves, mangoes and some bread and
biscuits and given water.
The charity’s head wildlife vet Dr Yaduraj Khadpekar then began the
painstaking process of removing his shackles.
Kartick said: “It took 45 minutes to liberate him. The chains wound
round his legs caused pain if anyone tried to take them off. Four
mahouts gently persuaded him to sit and finally we were able to
give him his liberty.
“We all had tears in our eyes as the rope which held the final
spike was cut and Raju took his first steps of freedom.
"The team was exhausted but elated. Raju suffered unthinkable abuse
and trauma for so long. His spirit was broken.
“The cruel spiked shackle will go to a museum to raise awareness of
a vile trade.
“He will be held in an isolation pen for a week while he receives
emergency medical attention. When he is ready he will join two
companion elephants called Rajesh and Bhola, who also once suffered
unthinkable cruelty.
“Bhola was blind and was run over by a truck. But despite his
terrible spinal and trunk injuries his mahout forced him to work
until we rescued him from the streets, a living skeleton.
"Rajesh was brutally beaten in a circus. It made him dangerous
until he began to trust again. They’ve both been rehabilitated and
Raju will learn how to live again by following their example.
“He will then join the rest of the elephants, including five
flirtatious females. He’ll spend the rest of his life in a safe
compound in dignity and free from suffering and pain.”
The charity, which depends on donations, is trying to raise £10,000
to help start Raju’s new life.
To contribute, go to wildlifesos.org, or send cheques or postal
orders to Wildlife SOS-UK, 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS