Jul 09 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
After 50 yrs, Raju no more a slave
Ishita.Mishra@timesgroup.com
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Agra:
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An elephant that had been chained throughout its 50-year life and subjected to severe abuse was recently rescued from Farah in UP recently. Raju is now at the Elephant Care and Conservation Centre here run by NGO Wildlife SOS in collaboration with the state forest department. The NGO was also instrumental in rescuing the tusker.The forest department seized the elephant, a male, after its ‘owner’ was found not to have documents for its possession. The entire process took nearly an year.
Raju was used for begging, joy rides and to perform tricks. Veterinarians attending to it said it had been poked with spikes and had wounds in several parts of its body. It had even been fed paper and plastic. Raju’s taste buds have been damaged and it cannot taste food, the vets said. Its digestive system will take a long
time to recover.“It will be long before the elephant’s health is restored. The next six months could prove especially challenging,” one of the vets, Yaduraj Khadpekar, said.
Although friendly to animals, it remains deeply suspicious of human beings, Khadpekar said. The team that rescued Raju claimed that it had tears streaming down its eyes as the chains were removed.
Members of the NGO said it was probably taken from a forest as a calf and then sold several times.
Raju was used for begging, joy rides and to perform tricks. Veterinarians attending to it said it had been poked with spikes and had wounds in several parts of its body. It had even been fed paper and plastic. Raju’s taste buds have been damaged and it cannot taste food, the vets said. Its digestive system will take a long
time to recover.“It will be long before the elephant’s health is restored. The next six months could prove especially challenging,” one of the vets, Yaduraj Khadpekar, said.
Although friendly to animals, it remains deeply suspicious of human beings, Khadpekar said. The team that rescued Raju claimed that it had tears streaming down its eyes as the chains were removed.
Members of the NGO said it was probably taken from a forest as a calf and then sold several times.
