An elephant celebrated its freedom of five years with a cake recently. The animal which was kept in captivity for 50 years was rescued by Wildlife SOS, an NGO. Raju was used for begging alms for his owner on the streets of Uttar Pradesh for the most part of his life. Fortunately, the animal finally found kind people who rescued it and gave it shelter and food. Raju was rescued and moved to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura, where he had his own enclosure and "lots of love, medical attention and nutritious food." Video of Clumsy Baby Elephant Chasing Dogs Is Your Today’s Serving of Utter Cuteness!

And Wildlife SOS celebrated five years of Raju's freedom with a sweet gesture. They made a cake for the elephant with cooked pulses, fruits like mango, watermelon and vegetables. Talking about the elephant, Wildlife SOS said in a statement, "Years of mistreatment, abuse and inadequate care had left him gaunt and miserable. He was tightly restrained with spiked chains, and his withering body bore multiple scars and chronic abscesses-evidence of repeated jabs with a bullhook." The NGO in a statement said, "Delighted to find the treat, Raju scooped up every bite of the cake with his trunk and stuffed it all into his mouth within minutes!"

That's the cake!

Watch Raju celebrating freedom with a cake:

Talking about Raju, CEO Wildlife SOS Kartick Satyanarayan said in a statement, "The past five years with Raju has been an incredible journey for all of us. His determination to get better has accelerated his recovery to the extent that nobody was sure, was possible. Watching Raju enjoy his retirement in peace fills our heart with happiness and keeps us motivated to help other elephants that continue to be treated with such cruelty, as he was."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2019 10:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).