Raju is an elephant weighing 5.5 tones which lived chained for fifty years. A prisoner of an Indian man, in the village of Uttar Pradesh. The man without any legal document proof that he owns the elephant, was using Raju to beg for money with his proboscis from tourists.

When the Wildlife SOS organization based in London heard of the tragic life and conditions that Raju lived for the past 50 years, had sent representatives over to India and with the support of the Police and veterinarians organized his release.

Once Raju was set free he burst into tears and stunned those who were close to him, as well as people all over the world after watching a video with the elephant crying.

Now, he is in the safe hands of the ” Elephants Protection Center ‘ in Mathura,North India. It seems that not only he has found a new secure, but a companionship as well.

On his first night in the center, a female elephant called Phoolkali, approached him and wanted to share her dinner with Raju, consisting of biscuits, mangoes and bananas.

Phoolkali, also has a similar story with Raju. Two years ago she was found abandoned and starving in a warehouse with no windows and was luckily taken to the Centre.

The head of the Wildlife SOS organization, Pooja Bineral, said that Raju has lost confidence in people, and because elephants are intelligent animals that can experience grief that is the reason that he burst into tears after his release.

Finally Wildlife SOS organization has launched a campaign in order to gather the amount of 10,000 pounds that will allow Raju to live under the appropriate conditions
in his new “home”!