An Elephant named Raju in Uttar Pradesh which was under captive for nearly 50 years, was freed by rescuers in a daring operation, last week. The moment the elephant got freedom, tears rolled down from its eyes and it rejoiced in happiness.

North London-based charity Wildlife SOS stepped in to save Raju, who was held in chains, spiked shackles. A 10-strong team of vets and wildlife experts from the charity were joined by 20 forestry department officers and six policemen took part in this rescue operation. Wildlife SOS vet Dr Yaduraj Khadpekar removed the chains tied to the elephant legs which were spiked. The elephant had wounds and was bleeding because of the spike shackle.

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The rescuers also struggled to get the elephant freed as it was resisting them. They had to feed the elephant fruits for hours to gain its trust. The rescuers confirmed that the owner of the elephant had no documents on owning it and following a court order the mission was carried out.

It was one of the most pitiful life, the elephant bared all these years. It used to eat paper and plastic to fill its stomach and was forced to hold out his trunk and beg for a few coins from passers-by. The rescuers say that the elephant was captured when it was young.

(AW: Vamshi)