The elephant was chained by his feet, forced to dive dozens of times a day in the cramped glass tank of the tourist aquarium, his eyes always red from the chlorine water, until one fateful day people decided to set him free… And then, for the first time after many years of pain, he stepped out into the open sea, hesitantly touched the salty water that no longer smelled of bleach, and did something that thousands of viewers had never seen before…
For twelve years, 35-year-old Raju was forced to dive on command in a narrow chlorinated tank at a Thai tourist aquarium, his ankles scarred from iron shackles and his eyes permanently inflamed from the harsh chemicals. Every day dozens of visitors watched the majestic animal perform underwater tricks while his skin cracked and his spirit […]









