Raju the elephant, who went viral after a video showed him crying real tears after a rescue operation by Wildlife SOS in India, is finally free from his cruel owners. Raju was saved from a miserable life back in July, but his owners had launched a legal bid to reclaim the sad old elephant, who was kept in shackles for more than 50 years. The Indian court has just announced that Raju can continue to live with his rescuers at Wildlife SOS.
Founder of the charity Kartick Satyanarayan, who led the daring, midnight rescue to save Raju said: “We are beyond overjoyed that Raju is finally saved. This is a huge victory, not only for Raju, but for every elephant suffering in pain silently.”
Wildlife SOS has launched a fundraising campaign to help the other 67 circus elephants in India, but they need donations to do so. Next on the list, depending on funding, will be Suzy. According to their website: “Suzy is blind and is suffering from very poor health. Confused and lost, she is forced to stand in her own dung and urine for days. She remains chained all the time except when she is forced to perform tricks. Suzy’s mental and physical health status is very poor due to a complete lack of veterinary care, no regular exercise, no enrichment, and an unbalanced diet with poor nutrition. She is in a great deal of pain. To top it all, her dental health is severely compromised, as indicated by undigested food in her dung. She is suffering, but there is no one to help her.”
“We have placed Suzy at the top of our priority list for rescue, and hope to bring her to our elephant care center in the near future,” said Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS. “And with the help of caring people around the world, and the cooperation of the Government, she will be just one of more than a dozen elephants we will be able to rescue from the sad circus life in 2015.”
Can you help them accomplish this dream? Visit the website for details or donate here.
Watch Raju splashing about happily in the pool at his new home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIf_WVTG6xw
