When Wildlife SOS rescued Raju the elephant from fifty years of abuse as a working elephant, the response we got from the rest of the world was completely unexpected. With the rescue video going viral and Raju’s heartbreaking story touching lives everywhere, the love and support that poured in from around the world was a heartwarming surprise to everyone at Wildlife SOS.
One year on, our wonderful supporters continue to surprise us in the best possible way. We launched our Raju Rescue Fund in honour of his first year of freedom, to raise money so we can continue rescuing elephants like Raju who are suffering devastating maltreatment and neglect at the hands of their owners. We were humbled by the generosity all of you showed, and we were moved by the outpouring of encouragement and support that we received. Your consistent kindness is the reason we are able to continue making a difference in the lives of these magnificent creatures.
We would like to take this opportunity to give a special shout out to the lovely Lisa Wallberg and Jessica Wu, who came up with innovative ways to raise money for Raju’s Rescue Fund.
Lisa, a healthcare worker in the UK, held a bake sale at her workplace and donated all the proceeds to Wildlife SOS. Her mouthwatering menu of salted caramel blondies, mud cake and cinnamon buns had our team salivating at their computer screens, so it’s no surprise that she raised quite a generous sum for the elephants. Lisa’s passion and enthusiasm (as well as her knack for some pretty yummy baking) was evident during our correspondence with her and it made us incredibly happy to see her taking the initiative to do good with goodies!
Across the world, in the USA, Jussica Wu was busy painting a vibrant picture of Raju, following which she sold prints of the artwork to raise money for the fund and spread awareness about the plight of elephants in India. Jessica’s colourful art really captures how happy Raju is with his newfound freedom, and we’re so grateful that she chose him as a muse and is using her talent to help us give other elephants this chance at freedom. Thank you, Jessica, from all of us at Wildlife SOS, particularly the eles!
At Wildlife SOS, helping wildlife in distress provides us immense validation and joy, and we are extremely grateful to you all for helping us continue to save the animals we care so deeply about.
