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Raju the tearful elephant's new lease of life after finding a girlfriend and having a good meal
The five-and-a-half tonne animal was freed this week by a wildlife charity after five decades of being shackled and beaten in Uttar Pradesh, India
Tearful elephant Raju - who made worldwide headlines after crying when he was freed from 50 years of abuse - has found himself a girlfriend and had his first good meal in years.
The five-and-a-half tonne animal was freed this week by a wildlife charity after five decades of being shackled and beaten in Uttar Pradesh, India.
[India: Elephant Raju Cries Copious Tears on Rescue from 50 Years of Torture]
After being driven to the safety of an elephant conservation centre in Mathura, northern India, Raju is being
nursed back to health - and has even found himself a female companion.
He was introduced to Phookali, the first member of his new family who is also a rescued elephant saved two years ago.
Phookali shared a meal of mangoes, bananas, biscuits and jackfruit together and appeared happy in each other’s company during the heartwarming meeting.
Phookali too was the subject of a dramatic rescue, as her owners refused to release her. She had a large absess on her head which took several months to heal.
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Raju is being treated for leg wounds caused by 50 years of abuse - including being chained in spiked shackles - but is returning to health thanks to the work of charity Wildlife SOS.
The brave elephant made international headlines on Monday when heartbreaking pictures emerged after his rescue.
Raju had been surviving on scraps fed by tourists in India after being tied up, chained, and beaten by his ‘owners’.
He was forced to hold out his trunk for food every day and would eat mainly plastic and paper given by passers-by.
He was saved in a daring midnight rescue mission on July 4 after London-based Wildlife SOS heard of his plight.
A team of 10 vets and wildlife experts, along with 20 forestry department officers and half a dozen policemen helped free him from his captors.
Wildlife SOS believe Raju was poached from his mother as a calf and repeatedly sold on - he may have had as many as 27 different owners during his life.
Rescuers said that by the time they found him, Raju was in ‘pathetic condition’ and ‘had lost his faith in humanity’.
It was Raju’s ill-health which caused him to cry tears of relief as he was taken away to start a new life earlier this week.
