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Elephant cries after being released.

woofmama

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I saw this earlier today and it really touched me. I have been fascinated by elephants for many years and find their intelligence & ability to express emotion to be amazing. I am so very happy for this particular guy and hope he lives many more years enjoying his freedom. The way humankind devalues such majestic creatures is incredibly sad. I hope the media attention on this story helps more captive mistreated animals win freedom.
 

yennyfire

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I saw this the other day and was bawling while on the elliptor. :oops:
It just broke my heart. I hope that Raju is treated like royalty for the remainder of his life. It can't make up for the evil he endured, but at least his final memories would be sweet.

God bless his rescuers who risked their own safety to free him!
 

iLander

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This makes me so sad to know he suffered for so long. ;( Glad he's free now . . .
 

Calliecake

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This poor baby. It's heartbreaking to think anyone could be so cruel to an animal.
 

marcy

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I saw this the other day too and was so happy he was released and I hope he leads a long, happy life.
 

packrat

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I am always so completely amazed by elephants. Wow.
 

lulu

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There are so many elephants in this position, like Mali in the Phillipines. 8-)
 

LaraOnline

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Did you know that due to an increasing and sustained number of elephant killings by criminal poachers, scientists are now estimating that elephants could actually be EXTINCT in 15 years?

They are killed, around 50 a day, for their ivory and most of that illegal ivory is funnelled through Thailand before being sold to China.

Elephant protector groups are desperately calling for international governments to ramp up pressure on Thailand to DO SOMETHING about this pathetic and horrible trade. As you can see, the Thailand government's efforts up until now have been USELESS in helping to protect the world's remaining elephants.

In my view, Thailand needs help to do what it can. Fancy us facing a prospect of having NO ELEPHANTS in 15 years. What would we tell our kids?? :nono: :errrr: :nono: :nono: :errrr:

Just last night I signed this petition which aims to encourage the British government (among others) to step up its diplomatic pressure on Thailand and its ivory trade. https://secure.avaaz.org/en/hours_to_save_elephants_uk/
Please, please consider signing yourself and also sending this petition to your facebook friends and anyone else that may be interested.
I cannot bear the thought of a world without living wild elephants, and I hope you see things the same way.
 

thecat

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I hope he lives out his remaining years in peace and happiness. So sad to be abused for so long.
 

Polished

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There are some updates on Raju here:

https://www.facebook.com/wildlifesosindia

He's up to meeting with another elephant!

The work this organisation does is incredible but it costs. eg to feed one elephant for a month costs $1000. From what I can work out donatated money seems to be well spent.
 

Sky56

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Thanks for posting!
 

Ellen

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woofmama|1404866643|3709354 said:
I saw this earlier today and it really touched me. I have been fascinated by elephants for many years and find their intelligence & ability to express emotion to be amazing. I am so very happy for this particular guy and hope he lives many more years enjoying his freedom. The way humankind devalues such majestic creatures is incredibly sad. I hope the media attention on this story helps more captive mistreated animals win freedom.
Yes. And other humans as well...


Thank you all for posting. It's nice in this dark, caught up in trivial junk world of ours to share an emotional moment with like minded souls, reflecting on the precious and often mysterious gifts we've been given, so often taken for granted or ignored.


I am surprised no one has commented on sonnyjane's link. If you have not watched it, please do. SO moving, especially in the last seconds of the video. A must see. Thanks sonny!

I have not looked at all the links posted yet, but I will. Thank you to all who have contributed various links.


I have one you all might be interested in. If I am mentioning something already posted in said links, plz forgive. I bought one of these products at a gift shop recently. Such a neat story! And one also trying to save the elephants.


http://www.mrelliepooh.com/

Click Mr. Karl's story for more info. The paper feels really nice!
 

thecat

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I didn't want to click onto sonnyjane's link in case it's the circus elephants. The ending is just too sad on so many levels to watch again. My heart breaks for the poor abused elephant finally getting a home yet passing on in a few short years. And the foster mommy losing her child all over again. I saw the circus elephants video last year or so yet it stayed with me cos it was just so sad.
 

Gypsy

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Sonnyjane's has been posted before and even has it's own thread on here. That's why most of us aren't commenting. And yes, they were circus elephants.
 

LaraOnline

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I am not commenting on the link because I cannot bear to watch it unfortunately :(
 

AGBF

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LaraOnline|1405041910|3710996 said:
I am not commenting on the link because I cannot bear to watch it unfortunately....

That makes two of us, Lara. The description alone has haunted me.

Deb
 

Autumnovember

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Amazing.... I can't believe how much emotion they're able to feel. There are some really nice videos on YouTube about elephant's and their relationships with other animals like dogs. Any animal videos like this make me completely burst into tears. I wish I could save them all...
 

Ellen

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Thank you to thecat and Gypsy for explaining.

However, I am somewhat perplexed by some comments about the video being too heartbreaking to watch. The video I saw was terribly heartwarmimg. It showed two elephants reunited after decades. They bent bars trying to get closer to each other and "embraced" at the end, one of the most touching things I've ever seen in my life. I am not getting how that is something to be avoided? Forgive me, I truly don't mean to sound insensitive. I am just somehow "missing it" this time. :confused:
 

LaraOnline

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I'm not a buttoned up type. Just the description is enough to give me an idea. I'm not *always* in the mood to watch a tear-jerker every time I sit down at the tele slash internet iykwim :)
 

Polished

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The video is way too heart breaking Ellen. Sometimes it's not cruelty that moves us to sobs but instead it happens when we witness happiness, pure joy; that's heightened immeasurably by the pain and heartbreak that we know preceded it. I literally cried all day when I learned that Jenny the younger elephant had died and Shirley, her foster mother's grief at her passing. I was standing in the shopping line and I looked up to see a friend, in the same line looking so concerned for me! I then decided to pull myself together, empower my strong feelings and give donations to the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary and now also to Raju at SOS Wildlife. I get sent "Trunklines" from the TES and Shirley appears to be doing well, she's bonded closely with another elephant. They also appear to help each other through when one of their group dies. Amazing animal behaviour - they really seem to know how to empathise and make each other happy.
 

thecat

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I was initially very happy for the abused elephant to move to the sanctuary and found it touching that they tried their best to get close to each other when they first met and spent time together. I thought she would have a happy ending, living out the rest of her life at the new place with her mum. However, she didn't enjoy many years in her new place as complications arose from her old injuries. She dying before her time is sad. The end when her mum left her as she was too sad to watch her daughter die is sad. A mum losing her child.

ETA: I clicked on the link as Ellen said that the last scene was of them embracing which means not the younger one dying. The link only shows their happy times. I can't remember how I knew about the rest.

ETA: Apparently there was a follow up in written form and I must have read that last year. But the imagery was so vivid that I thought they filmed her last too.

ETA:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/elephants-reunited-after-20-years.197236/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/elephants-reunited-after-20-years.197236/[/URL]
 

Ellen

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Polished|1405075063|3711263 said:
The video is way too heart breaking Ellen. Sometimes it's not cruelty that moves us to sobs but instead it happens when we witness happiness, pure joy; that's heightened immeasurably by the pain and heartbreak that we know preceded it. I literally cried all day when I learned that Jenny the younger elephant had died and Shirley, her foster mother's grief at her passing. I was standing in the shopping line and I looked up to see a friend, in the same line looking so concerned for me! I then decided to pull myself together, empower my strong feelings and give donations to the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary and now also to Raju at SOS Wildlife. I get sent "Trunklines" from the TES and Shirley appears to be doing well, she's bonded closely with another elephant. They also appear to help each other through when one of their group dies. Amazing animal behaviour - they really seem to know how to empathise and make each other happy.
You and I were totally on the same page right up until the end of the bold. Then we parted thinking. I guess maybe it's sort of like the glass half empty/half full thing. I understand how you were looking at it. I was just looking at it for what it was at the moment, two old friends reunited, in a terribly moving episode.

Nobody is right or wrong on this. Each ones perceptions and feelings are what make each one of us unique. And I totally respect everyone's opinion! :))
 

missy

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Polished|1405075063|3711263 said:
The video is way too heart breaking Ellen. Sometimes it's not cruelty that moves us to sobs but instead it happens when we witness happiness, pure joy; that's heightened immeasurably by the pain and heartbreak that we know preceded it. I literally cried all day when I learned that Jenny the younger elephant had died and Shirley, her foster mother's grief at her passing. I was standing in the shopping line and I looked up to see a friend, in the same line looking so concerned for me! I then decided to pull myself together, empower my strong feelings and give donations to the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary and now also to Raju at SOS Wildlife. I get sent "Trunklines" from the TES and Shirley appears to be doing well, she's bonded closely with another elephant. They also appear to help each other through when one of their group dies. Amazing animal behaviour - they really seem to know how to empathise and make each other happy.

Yes, I agree with this completely. I could not bring myself to click onto this link because I knew in a general sense what it must be about. And the thought of what that poor animal suffered before his rescue is too much for me to bear.

This is the same reason I don't usually watch animal movies anymore. March of the Penguins which objectively was a wonderful movie was an unhappy experience for me because of all I knew those poor penguins suffered. When that little baby penguin died that was it for me and I couldn't get a hold on my crying or sadness. Stayed with me for a long time. So I just don't see movies or videos like that anymore if I can help it. I know that makes me weak but I know my limitations. :blackeye:
 

AGBF

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missy|1405108368|3711499 said:
Polished|1405075063|3711263 said:
The video is way too heart breaking Ellen. Sometimes it's not cruelty that moves us to sobs but instead it happens when we witness happiness, pure joy; that's heightened immeasurably by the pain and heartbreak that we know preceded it. I literally cried all day when I learned that Jenny the younger elephant had died and Shirley, her foster mother's grief at her passing. I was standing in the shopping line and I looked up to see a friend, in the same line looking so concerned for me! I then decided to pull myself together, empower my strong feelings and give donations to the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary and now also to Raju at SOS Wildlife. I get sent "Trunklines" from the TES and Shirley appears to be doing well, she's bonded closely with another elephant. They also appear to help each other through when one of their group dies. Amazing animal behaviour - they really seem to know how to empathise and make each other happy.

Yes, I agree with this completely. I could not bring myself to click onto this link because I knew in a general sense what it must be about. And the thought of what that poor animal suffered before his rescue is too much for me to bear.

This is the same reason I don't usually watch animal movies anymore. March of the Penguins which objectively was a wonderful movie was an unhappy experience for me because of all I knew those poor penguins suffered. When that little baby penguin died that was it for me and I couldn't get a hold on my crying or sadness. Stayed with me for a long time. So I just don't see movies or videos like that anymore if I can help it. I know that makes me weak but I know my limitations. :blackeye:

I once posted on Pricescope about the sadness in the world and someone "looked" at me in a strange way. But these images, abuses of animals and children, abused and hungry old people, sometimes will not let me go to sleep at night. I laugh a lot, but like you-and Lara, and I suspect Polished-I try not to ask for more to cry over than already comes my way. I am not better than others, just unable to close out the images.

Deb
:wavey:
 

Calliecake

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Sonnyjane, Thank you for posting this heartwarming video. I'm sitting crying like a baby now, but so happy they were reunited.
 

Madam Bijoux

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I AM AN ELEPHANT
by Stu Bykofsky
I was not born for your amusement any more than you were born for mine.
If you see me in the zoo, and especially in the circus, which arrived here yesterday, I am not there willingly.
I was kidnapped and carried far, far away from my home and my family. I might have been an adult, but was more likely a baby when captured. Some "brave" hunter might have killed my mother - who could be dangerous - and sold me to a zoo or circus as an orphan.
Elephants have large families, as you may know, each headed by a female. When a female is born into the family herd, she never leaves.
Closely and happily, we travel together, eat together, play together, rest together. For elephants, every herd is a "village" in which the baby is cared for by its mother, and her sisters, and her mother. Being connected to family is as much a part of our being as our floppy ears. It harms us to be separated from our family. Can you understand that?
Do you think I cannot feel loneliness and despair?
As you may know, we elephants grieve for our dead. We mourn for our family. Being disconnected from our family is like death for us.
That is what we suffer when we are captured, and kidnapped, and sold.
I am an elephant.
I know you love seeing me, in the circus or in the zoo.
I know some of you feel that, "It isn't a circus without elephants," or, "It isn't a zoo without elephants."
You are thinking about yourself - what you want, what you like.
Please think about me.
I am an elephant.
Do you think I was born to be chained to a stake, when my spirit cries to cross vast savannas? Do you think I was made to be pushed into cramped circus railway cars, to be hauled around the country like furniture?
I perform for eight minutes for your pleasure, then spend endless hours in misery.
Some zoos try hard to accommodate my physical and psychological needs, but few succeed.
My first need is spiritual and that was crushed when they stole me from my family in Africa.
In Africa, my numbers are dwindling as poachers slaughter my kind for a few pounds of ivory.
Imagine killing a majestic, five-ton animal for scraps of ivory. Does that offend your sense of decency?
And yet you don't think twice about the slow death of imprisoning me in a barren cage.
You believe letting your children get close to a captive elephant will make them appreciate me. Must that come at my expense? Can't they learn from videos, DVDs and Web casts, without my suffering?
Can't you teach them about the dignity of living animals by leaving us alone?
When you and your children see me do a circus "trick," you are delighted.
You don't ask yourself, "How did they make that elephant stand on his head?" I never stand on my head in the wild.
Was it positive reinforcement, as Ringling says? Was it through abuse, as undercover videos have shown?
I am an elephant.
My second need is for physical stimulation, by walking. My long legs are built to move. I walk a dozen or more miles a day, when I am free to.
No circus, and few zoos, give me what I need.
And still I hear you want to see me in a zoo, you want to see me perform circus "tricks."
You want to see me because you love me, you say.
If you love me, don't do this to me.
I am an elephant.
 
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