Raju The Elephant Cries After Being Rescued

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For 50 years, Raju the elephant was abused, held shackled in spiked chains and forced to live off scraps from passing tourists. All that changed when he was rescued last weekend by wildlife conservationists who said the animal cried when he was finally set free.

Wildlife SOS, a group established in 1995 to protect endangered wildlife in India, set out to rescue Raju on the night of July 2. Raju is around 50 years old and was likely captured as a baby and bought and sold many times over the course of his life. He was forced to work as a begging elephant in Allahabad. His legs were bound in spiked chains that made walking difficult and left him with chronic wounds. He was also beaten.

I haven't posted a thread in a long while, being a regular here, but I felt the need to share this. I am no animal activist to any major degree but still am human and when I read and then researched this just a bit, it made me realize humanity means more to me then just being good to each other. Hopefully those about to erupt the world into war again will read this and feel the same thing I felt, even if it's just for a moment, before it's too late!

AB

Although all animals have my respect, I've always found the higher emotional existence of elephants to be absolutely jarring. They communicate over miles sub-sonically, they treasure the wisdom of their elders by maintaining their place in their herd until they pass, and when they die, they bury their own and sit vigil. They are truly our gentle giants meant for so much greater than chains and sideshows.

a reply to: AnteBellum


G,day mate.
to the rescue team well done people, well done
so very sad. people that abuse animals are bloody minded reprobates and should be bitch slapped into the middle of next week
i do hope that these people can get some healing treatment onto this old elephants wounds

I honestly don't understand how some people seem to have no empathy for animals, what is wrong with them?

Fortunately we are not all like that.

To think that I whine about not having enough days off from work, and here is an elephant whose had no break for 50 years.
Some people disgust me!

a reply to: AnteBellum

Look what's happened to the world so sad

a reply to: AnteBellum

Look what's happened to the world so sad

a reply to: AnteBellum

Thanks for posting that, some people need to see it to believe it.
I'm reminded of a troop (is that the right word) of monkeys who when released into freedom started hugging each other.
I wonder if that elephant understands that not all humans are bastards!

Imagine all those torturous and lonely years that poor animal had to suffer for! This breaks my heart. I am so happy that he has been released from his prison of hell.

a reply to: AnteBellum
www.dailymail.co.uk... an-safaris.html

Why can't they stop the rich of the world from killing the last of everything!Glorying in the wonder of a bullet to take away the precious creatures all with a laugh and a smile!

originally posted by: Night Star
Imagine all those torturous and lonely years that poor animal had to suffer for! This breaks my heart. I am so happy that he has been released from his prison of hell.

They keep social family oriented creatures all alone without their own kind, I wonder how a human would deal with that.

Sadest thing to me is seeing a winged creature in a cage.

People who do this kind of crap need the Hell beat out of them. with a bat.

I abhor all this kind of stuff Poor elephant, 50 years of this bull.... Who ever is in charge of this world...fix it.

God .... Help ? Animal abuse, cruelty, expoitation. /rant.

OP thanks for bringing this to our attention, hopefully the world will see this thread, story. I wonder if there's a fund for Raju set up for his care. If so, I will donate.

Happy that ATS comments are positive, can't say the same elsewhere. Article states rescuers have observed crying in other rescues also. Due to poaching, loss of their environment, to them being held captive as the story describes elephants are suffering great stress as a species which will probably bring about extinction* if not addressed. I hope this story and similar influences compassion needed for these animals, many more.
* African elephants are vulnerable / The Asian elephant is endangered - Source

I've been involved in elephant rescue work in Thailand. If you really don't understand how cruelly these majestic creatures are treated by some Mahouts, I'd suggest a Google on "mahout training methods". It's enough to make you physically sick.

As someone stated above, the intelligence of these animals has me astounded at times. I've seen elephants that have trodden on land-mines in Cambodia, yet are still force-mated in order to produce more "slave labourers". These elephants had lost their will to live, yet once they realised people had arrived to help, they would calm and accept veterinary treatment. Sometimes (sadly), they are in such poor condition that it's not likely they would even survive being transported to the elephant refuge in Chiangmai.

If you travel to these countries, as a tourist, please do not buy the food offered to you by the guy with the elephant in the street. Elephants "feel" their surroundings through their feet as well as using eyes and ears. The constant rumblings of traffic and city noises confuses this ability and causes great stress. You'll see them swaying their heads back and forth. They've literally given up.

Also - elephant rides or those shows where elephants paint or step over tourists that lie down are to be avoided and not supported at all. As I said earlier - the training methods to get them to perform for humans pleasure are sick.

If you are interested, look up Lek Chailert at The Elephant Nature Park in Chinagmai, Thailand. She's doing amazing work. You may have even seen documentaries on her on Nat Geo channels etc.

EDIT - The blond girl with the grin above needs to be put out in a reserve unarmed whilst hungry apex predators are nearby. Lets see how much she enjoys "hunting" then!

a reply to: TRiPWiRE

Your very correct. Indeed there's been a few threads on elephants being awesome as well as great artists. I'm going to quote what I learned from one of those threads after looking into how the elephants actually 'paint' self portraits.
From this thread

--------

originally posted by: Qumulys

boymonkey74
reply to post by Indigent

 

Amazing stuff

Everyday we are learning that the "beasts" are more intelligent than we think.
Ever seen the Elephant artist?

Heck he is a better artist than myself lol.


Awesome dude S&F.

Aww man... I watched this and smiled like the dumb tourists. But from further reading, this is a bit of a bummer.

To most of the members of the audience, what they have seen appears to be almost miraculous. Elephants must surely be almost human in intelligence if they can paint pictures of flowers and trees in this way. What the audience overlooks are the actions of the mahouts as their animals are at work.

This oversight is understandable because it is difficult to drag your eyes away from the brushes that are making the lines and spots. However, if you do so, you will notice that, with each mark, the mahout tugs at his elephant's ear.

He nudges it up and down to get the animal to make a vertical line, or pulls it sideways to get a horizontal one. To encourage spots and blobs he tugs the ear forward, towards the canvas. So, very sadly, the design the elephant is making is not hers but his. There is no elephantine invention, no creativity, just slavish copying.

Investigating further, after the show is over, it emerges that each of the so-called artistic animals always produces exactly the same image, time after time, day after day, and week after week. Mook always paints a bunch of flowers, Christmas always does a tree, and Pimtong a climbing plant. Each elephant works to a set routine, guided by her master.
Read more at www.snopes.com...

So the elephants are not creating, merely forced into a day in day out routine of doing the lines as a trainer pulls on its ear to control the direction and when to stop. Such a miserable thing to find out after such a heart warming video... the more you know

Read more on how the elephants did this

This planet is sometimes such a sad place that I have trouble getting out of bed. No matter what we 'fix', some other cruel act of stupidity is going on somewhere else. There's only so much miserable news one can take, I've heard nearly 40 years worth of stories about what a horrid species we can be. What little status we have as a species - it was at great cost.

a reply to: AnteBellum

Elephants, to me, are very special. They can form life-long bonds, have astounding memories, and in general show an aptitude for intelligence, empathy and emotion. For this animal to have endured 50 years of slavery is abhorrent to me, especially after reading :When Elephants Weep- The Emotional Lives of Animals


It's great that he was rescued, and one day I would love to meet an elephant (preferably a friendly one.)

originally posted by: Qumulys
a reply to: TRiPWiRE

Your very correct. Indeed there's been a few threads on elephants being awesome as well as great artists. I'm going to quote what I learned from one of those threads after looking into how the elephants actually 'paint' self portraits.
From this thread

--------

originally posted by: Qumulys

boymonkey74
reply to post by Indigent

 

Amazing stuff

Everyday we are learning that the "beasts" are more intelligent than we think.
Ever seen the Elephant artist?

Heck he is a better artist than myself lol.


Awesome dude S&F.

Aww man... I watched this and smiled like the dumb tourists. But from further reading, this is a bit of a bummer.

To most of the members of the audience, what they have seen appears to be almost miraculous. Elephants must surely be almost human in intelligence if they can paint pictures of flowers and trees in this way. What the audience overlooks are the actions of the mahouts as their animals are at work.

This oversight is understandable because it is difficult to drag your eyes away from the brushes that are making the lines and spots. However, if you do so, you will notice that, with each mark, the mahout tugs at his elephant's ear.

He nudges it up and down to get the animal to make a vertical line, or pulls it sideways to get a horizontal one. To encourage spots and blobs he tugs the ear forward, towards the canvas. So, very sadly, the design the elephant is making is not hers but his. There is no elephantine invention, no creativity, just slavish copying.

Investigating further, after the show is over, it emerges that each of the so-called artistic animals always produces exactly the same image, time after time, day after day, and week after week. Mook always paints a bunch of flowers, Christmas always does a tree, and Pimtong a climbing plant. Each elephant works to a set routine, guided by her master.
Read more at www.snopes.com...

So the elephants are not creating, merely forced into a day in day out routine of doing the lines as a trainer pulls on its ear to control the direction and when to stop. Such a miserable thing to find out after such a heart warming video... the more you know

Read more on how the elephants did this

This planet is sometimes such a sad place that I have trouble getting out of bed. No matter what we 'fix', some other cruel act of stupidity is going on somewhere else. There's only so much miserable news one can take, I've heard nearly 40 years worth of stories about what a horrid species we can be. What little status we have as a species - it was at great cost.

That is the most amazing video i have ever seen. Thankyou. No other animal comes anywhere near those elephant

a reply to: TRiPWiRE


Exactly - especially the 'breaking' of a baby elephant after it is captured.
It's one of the most harrowing, sad things I've seen.
I don't recommend people looking for footage of it.

a reply to: symptomoftheuniverse

I might be wrong here, but I think you might have missed my message. Unless you think the cruelty the elephants suffer daily to make these 'paintings' is amazing? The elephants are not painting self-portraits by choice or free-will. But they are indeed amazing animals and are capable of some wonderful feats, however self-portraits should be stood against and the people who force these elephants to do this should be punished for animal cruelty.

Not meaning to bite your head off or anything, it could be your not an English native reader/writer, if so my apologies for misreading what you were trying to point out.

a reply to: AnteBellum

Thank you for sharing this

Elephants are such beautiful intelligent creatures. It is such a shame that so much abuse happens to them.

I watched a documentary about a baby elephant orphanage and it was so touching. I just looked it up, it's called For the Love of Elephants. It takes place at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

a reply to: stargatetravels

I have been violently ill upon encountering this "training method", and I'm not someone who suffers from a weak stomach.

I should have said that viewer discretion is advised should you decide to look up images and video.

If you don't want to look it up but are wondering, it involves a metal hook on a wooden handle (usually used for gouging), chains and tiny crates that completely limit the animals movement. They scream and their eyes bug out as they desperately look around for help. Any help. They then receive a torrent of violence as the Mahout attempts to "break their will". The confusion you can see in their eyes is painful to watch. The rescuers generally negotiate with Mahouts to buy these abused elephants. Money talks but the sad truth is that usually, the rescuers end up back there because they simply obtain another elephant via nefarious means (usually killing the mother of a baby and then capturing it).

I've seen elephants that have been blinded by this implement because they collapsed under their heavy workload. The beatings simply increase if they stop working. They are covered with both scars and festering wounds around their head, cheeks, eyes, ears and necks because that's where the Mahouts whallop them with their hooks as they ride them.

There is nothing sadder than a beautiful animal that has given up on life. You can see it in their eyes. Amazingly, it generally doesn't take too long before they settle and trust people who have helped them. I am yet to come across one who didn't accept humans as friends once trust had been re-built.

Releasing them with other, previously rescued elephants helps to calm them. There is an old, blind elephant at the reserve who happily takes new arrivals "under her wing", and shows them around. Their bonds are quite incredible.

Humans really suck at times.