'Emotional moment': Elephant cries tears of joy as it walks free after 50 years in captivity

This is truly an inspiring moment.

An elephant shed tears after recently being freed after spending 50 years in captivity in India, thanks to a lengthy and emotional rescue operation organized by a wildlife conservation group.

Wildlife SOS India helped to free Raju the elephant in the early hours of July 4.

After being released from the chains and spikes that were holding him down, the makna bull elephant cried, according to Wildlife's co-founder Kartick Satyanaryan.

"It was a very emotional moment for all of us," Satyanaryan told CTV News Channel on Thursday, adding that the rescue process took hours to complete.

"We started walking with him at 6:30 p.m., trying to loosen his chains and it was almost impossible."

Satyanaryan said Wildlife SOS was initially tipped off about Raju's captivity by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, and it took one year for conservation officials to get the necessary permits required to initiate the rescue process.

"We had to initially send an undercover team to make sure that the owners, the people who had the elephant in custody, were not going to move him away," he said. "So we really had to keep tabs on the elephant."

When it was finally time to "swoop in" and rescue Raju, his owners enlisted the help of “hooligans” to block the rescue team, Satyanaryan said.

The elephant's owners also purposely agitated the animal, in order to confuse him and make him hostile to the people who were trying to help him.

www.ctvnews.ca...

I'm glad that this beautiful animal has been set free and judging by his reaction so is he

I've come to realize that elephants are a sacred species in the wild, much of the animal kingdom is, but elephants, along with other species like whales an dolphins, are very intelligent and emotional beings.

I especially like the part of, "Enlisting the help of Hooligans", not going to lie, that cracked me up, how an what way would you determine a "Hooligan"???? lol

S&F

a reply to: Arnie123

I agree that many animals have the ability to show how intelligent and emotional that they really are, personally I believe all creatures on this earth and beyond are sacred but elephants, whales and dolphins have always amazed me.

As for the "hooligans", I get what you are saying LOL.

I'm guessing it's a local term just like Euro "soccer hooligans" ?

a reply to: Corruption Exposed

Just because some observant minds don't acknowledge the science related to the intelligence of other beings here does not mean they are not intelligent and somewhat AWARE of what's happening to them. Could be HUMANS just forgot the connection they had to them somehow or were detached...

a reply to: Ophiuchus 13

I agree, sometimes I believe it is us humans who are the primitive animals even though most of our species consideres ourselves superior to the rest of the animal kingdom - this frame of mind is ignorant in my opinion.

Humans are definitely detached from any connection we used to have judging by the world we live in and how we operate. I don't mean all humans, I just mean society in general. There are many humans who consider themselves equal in comparison to every other living creature on earth, sadly we are rare.

This superiority attitude needs to stop or pretty soon humans will be all that are left.

a reply to: Corruption Exposed

Its ego related somewhat to the top of the food chain "ILLUSION" (for who really knows who sits at the top) as well as a possible survival mechanism in order to consume and harvest mass animal amounts...
I say survival mech. because it would be odd to have compassion as "some" do for animal life and then design factories where animals are harvested killed and sold for consumption. So that mech. helps the mentality to accept or justify the ok to consume.

I am one of those type who think of the chicken mills and how the chics are birthed / grown and killed and never go beyond a lifestyle of that for what may seem like eternity for them. This bothers me especially when thinking then if this is ok for humans then how can any complain if certain abductions involve similar activities done to humans as far as consumption goes?
I don't get too illogical and say not to consume but do wish with the intelligence level possessed by many that other ways would be made to consume and still get the essential vitamins and minerals needed to keep the body-environment suits healthy & strong. Its a ruff area to tackle and go beyond. It is observed that things in this realm eat/consume other things and the cycle carries on. So if some are treating humans as humans treat livestock then some things may also consume them and it doesn't have to always be a flesh intake process when considering the metaphysical aspects of things existing...

But not to get too far off topic maybe one day humanity will be reconnected and find another way to consume w/ less death upon animal life...

You appear to possess a compassionate and caring heart for other beings and thats needed here if not also far beyond here as well keep up the good work Corruption Exposed

NAMASTE*******

What an incredibly sad story of his life. However, it is nice to know that something is being done to help him rehabilitate. I have always wondered at the lack of character of humans who look to subjugate others of various species by using cruelty and torture in order to make a buck.

On another note, what is this bothersome trend to use artificial voices in videos, as in this one the mispronunciation of 'wound' is so blatantly ridiculous, "the chains were wound tightly around his legs" was pronounced as an abrasion or injury? Are human voices that difficult to find?

People who do things like this to animals should be locked away and never see the light of day again.

originally posted by: trollz
People who do things like this to animals should be locked away and never see the light of day again.

The last owner should be shackled with spikes sticking into his legs and starved as well.

Probably can't just let the elephant free. If it has been in captivity for so long, it's just as likely to die in the wild as it's to suffer in captivity. I think people are negatively judging the elephant, thinking it has animal instincts and can automatically rebound after it's freed. But even animals can "forget" or not learn how to survive in the wild. And it's also possible this elephant has lost muscle mass or bone density as a result of being in captivity.

a reply to: jonnywhite

"Better to die free than live in slavery"

Whatever happens to that elephant I'm confident it will be better than what he has been put through. One day of freedom is worth more than a lifetime of slavery.

I hope he lives the rest of his days being treated like a king.

Cheers.

a reply to: Corruption Exposed

Took me a while to gather the courage to watch the vid, I cant handle....nasty pics.

He's FREE!
Blessings to those that rescued him

Many years ago when I befriended my best pal (Border Collie) the first thing I did was remove his collar. For the seventeen years we had together he NEVER wore a collar, and yet nearly every person we met said "Why isn't he wearing a collar". Over the years about half a dozen people we befriended also stopped using collars.

A well educated dog does not need a collar, although I had a leash that had a loop on it that I'd use if we were in area's of road traffic, but otherwise he was free to walk beside me, and he always did.

a reply to: VoidHawk

That's a great perspective, I'm glad you were able to give him such a free life for so long. My German Shepard / Black Lab cross was required to wear a collar in public due to city rules but we took it off whenever possible such as at home or a field in the country. Each time we took it off we could see the relief. He passed away just over 2 years ago and was about 12.5 years old.

I'm guessing most humans would hate to wear a collar or be chained their whole lives so it must be agony for the animals. Any pet of mine will always get royal treatment, animal abusers are indescribable within t&c so I will leave it at that.

a reply to: Corruption Exposed

Didn't want to get off topic as that Elephant deserves all the publicity he can get!
It was seeing the shackles on his feet that reminded me why I refused to collar my old mate.

I have mixed emotions when I see stories like in your op. I'm so happy that his suffering is over, but it seems wrong that I should gain a warm fuzzy feeling from it, almost seems selfish. I ought to be frigging livid with anger that he's had to live so long in that state.
Maybe thats why I dont get on too well with your average human

Keep up the good work CE