A Rescued Elephant Sheds Tears Upon Being Rescued

An elephant cries tears of joy after being freed from about 50 years in captivity!

Break out the Kleenex for this one!

wcvb.com released a story about Raju the elephant, who has spent almost his entire life in captivity in the Uttar Predesh region of India.  Shackled up in spiked chains and living off scraps from tourists, Raju has been abused for years.

Well that all changed this past Wednesday, July 2nd.

Wildlife SOS (a group of wildlife conservationists), 10 veterinarians, 20 Forestry Commission Officers, and two policemen all worked together to stage the escape while Raju's captors tried to distract him with commands and placing tighter chains on him.

But that didn't work and Raju was set free and was taken to the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura.

What astounded his rescuers though, were the tears that escaped Raju's face during the rescue. "It was incredibly emotional. We knew in our hearts he realized 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," said Wildlife SOS spokesman Pooja Binepal.

Raju took his first steps without the chains on July 4th!