11/07/2014
50 years of beatings. 50 years of spiked chains. 50 years of eating rubbish to survive. To his owner, Raju was nothing – he was nobody. Raju was a means to an end. When his rescuers from Wildlife S.O.S finally came, the same owner who had abused him shouted at the confused animal – trying to frighten him into reacting. But Raju trusted his saviours, and tears streamed down the elephant’s face. He “seemed to sense that change was coming. It was as if he felt hope for the first time in a very long time”.
For Raju there will be no more chains. Now – he is free. His incredible story: http://dailym.ai/1qhJc33
Raju’s prolonged suffering was due to unwitting tourists taking pity on him and giving him money – money that would then go to his cruel owner, only prolonging Raju’s abuse. Sadly, his story is not unique – animal cruelty can often be a by-product of tourism. So before you travel overseas, discover how you can have the trip of a lifetime without hurting animals. Check out Intrepid Travel's guide to being an animal-friendly traveller at www.bit.ly/1tlNRXj.
For more about Raju - and how you can get involved in helping him on his path to recovery, head to the Wildlife S.O.S. website: www.bit.ly/1qqroD3
