Be it by email, phone, social media, or in person, the number one question we at Wildlife SOS get asked is, "How is Raju doing?" For those of you unfamiliar with Raju, he is an elephant we rescued one year ago (on July 4th, Independence Day in the USA) who had spent 50 years in chains. The removal of his spiked chains was followed by something our team had never seen before... a stream of tears down his face. The story of his life, rescue and tears went viral, and touched the hearts of millions of people around the world.
Initially when we were asked questions about Raju's healing, we were cautious with our answers because we were unsure of his rehabilitation potential. He had arrived frail, sick and traumatized. Some of his suffering we knew about, other injuries and past cruelties we would continue to uncover.
When he came in, he weighed about half of what an elephant his size should. Although Raju could not tell us his life story, the wounds covering his body spoke of the decades he spent chained and of the merciless beatings he endured. Everything we discovered led us to believe his recovery would be challenging.
Yet, despite all this, there was a unique characteristic to Raju that somehow shined through. He was unusually forgiving and trusting. Some who met him described him as an 'old soul' and a true gentle giant. This special quality in him turned out to be a gift that would help with his recovery.
One year later, we are now happy to report that Raju has put on more than 1000 pounds, and he now weighs in at 7500 pounds. He will need to consume a veritable orchard of jackfruit and papaya to reach the 12,000 pounds that would be considered healthy for a male elephant of his size, yet we believe we'll see him reach that milestone. His recovery is a process and he will get there one banana tree at a time.
Most remarkably, his once infected wounds are no longer a major problem. They were very slow to show progress in the beginning. However, once his nutrition began to improve the progress could be seen in all aspects of his recovery. Now that his wounds are closing up, he looks healthier and a lot more comfortable.
For those of us witnessing Raju's first year of freedom, it has been great to see what interests him and to watch him explore being a free elephant. Within a couple of days of his rescue he started spending long hours in the pool, sometimes playing with jumbo toys and other times lying still and silent in the water, enjoying a tranquility he had likely never before experienced.
He has chosen his favorite companions among both elephants and people. Since Raju's arrival at the rescue center, several newly rescued elephants have arrived. The presence of more elephants (including one baby) gives him more stimulation and the opportunity to interact with more of his kind. Visitors arrive daily, many of whom would like to meet Raju. However, we try to keep things quiet for him and restrict access to him so that the humans he interacts with are only staff he is familiar with.
It is painful to think about the first fifty years Raju endured. However, now when we are asked our number one question, "How is Raju?", we can simply say:
Raju gets healthier and happier every day. One year later, life is pretty good for this old elephant.
You can watch a video of Raju's first year of freedom on YouTube. You can also donate to Raju's Rescue Fund, which will be used to help other elephants who are still chained and suffering.