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IT was the moment Raju the elephant had waited a lifetime for – a family of his own.

As the Sunday People told last month, he captivated the world by crying as he was freed from chains after 50 years.

And now the gentle ­giant has joined five females at a refuge in northern India.

The new family, dubbed the Herd of Hope, have all been rescued by the charity Wildlife SOS from barbaric treatment.

And poignantly, the females flapped their ears – a sign of joy – as they welcomed Raju to the sanctuary.

Charity boss Kartick Satyana-rayan, who led the operation to save Raju, said: “We’re delighted he’s fitted in so well with the first family he’s had since poachers orphaned him as a calf.

“He’d been so brutalised for 50 years we feared he couldn’t live with his own kind.

“He didn’t even know how to be an elephant. But now it’s like he’s always been with them.”

Kartick said three of the ­females, called Laxmi, Chanchal and Sai Geeta, ran up to him with their ears flapping wildly and trumpeted a greeting.

He added: “Each one then touched him with their trunk, clearly reassuring him.

“It was incredibly touching after all he’d been through.”

On July 4 Wildlife SOS saved Raju in a midnight operation. Ten vets and wildlife experts joined 26 Indian officials to seize Raju and take him to their centre in Mathura.

Kartick said: “Raju’s case was particularly tragic as we believe he’s been sold again and again and may have had 27 owners.

“By the time we found him he was in a pathetic condition. He hadn’t been fed properly and the chains that cut into his legs had been there 50 years – an act of unthinkable cruelty.

“We’ve spent much more than expected on treatment.

“And we still have a long way to go because he has a serious limp and open wounds.” His new family are also recovering. Laxmi, 18, has severe arthritis, obesity and a heart condition.

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Kartick said: “She’d been used as a begging prop and her owners had got her addicted to fried junk food.

“She was so fat we had to use a crane to get her on to a ­specially strengthened truck to drive her to our centre.”

Chanchal, 16, had been hit by a speeding lorry.

And Sai Geeta was rescued from a circus where she had been forced to perform for years with a broken leg. Today the elephants enjoy a pool paid for with the help of Sunday People readers.

Kartick said: “We are overwhelmed by their generosity.”

And now the charity has launched a £20,000 appeal to mark World Elephant Day on August 12.

To donate, go to www.wildlifesos.org/paypalUK or send cheques/postal orders to Wildlife SOS-UK, 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS. Find out more at wildlifesos.org