Tears of an elephant
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One day, about 55 years ago, a baby elephant was born in the beautiful country of India. Its name was Raju.
For a very short while, the elephant had a wonderful life, roaming round the forest with its family.
The forest was a very beautiful place.
However, there were dangers in the forest.
One day, something terrible happened. Poachers came to the forest and stole the elephant from its family.
Baby elephants are often stolen in India. Although it is illegal, people pay a lot of money for them. They are used to make money for its owner – usually with tourists.
Poor Raju was sold at least 27 times. He was beaten and starved by the mahouts (the men who rode him). He had to beg for food from passers-by.
But , eventually, The Wildlife SOS organization was notified of his plight. On 14 July 2014, they launched a mission to save Raju. They cut off his chains that were cutting into his feet. It is reported that Raju actually cried when the chains were removed. Then they transported him over 350 miles away to their animal sanctuary.
In the sanctuary, vets looked after his wounds. They fed him fine food and they let him play in the pool. When Raju was ready, they introduced him to other elephants that had also been rescued from abuse.
Now, Raju, has put on weight , and is healing nicely. Vets think he has about another 10 years to live. Hopefully , these will be the best years of his life.
Watch the video to see the story of Raju.
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If you would like to follow the story of Raju, go to the site below.
If this story has touched you, you can go and volunteer at the Wildlife SOS sanctuary. It is in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
Now , it’s time for a quiz test.
Published: Dec 30, 2017
Latest Revision: Dec 30, 2017
Ourboox Unique Identifier: OB-400898
Copyright © 2017
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