A heartwarming film depicting an Asian elephant’s tearful reunion with her mother after years apart, proving the ancient adage that an elephant never forgets.
Meet Me-Bai, the tiny elephant spotted nuzzling her mother, Mae Yui, at Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park sanctuary in the north.
After a 62-mile walk through the Thai forest, the two excitedly flap their ears and caress each other with their trunks.
Me-Bai was sold to give rides for tourists in Thailand when she was just three and a half years old. For three years, she didn’t see her mother, who also worked in the profession.
It’s especially terrible since females tend to remain in herds until they die, developing extremely strong bonds. They are seldom separated before the calf is five years old.
According to Elephant News’ YouTube channel, Me-Bai quit the tourism sector ‘because she [Me-Bai] was too young [and] began to lose weight and could no longer handle the passengers,’
Following a four-day, 62-mile (100-kilometer) trip in the hot sun, Me-Bai was just rescued and transferred to the sanctuary.
‘When Me-Bai initially came at the refuge, she was apprehensive and suspicious of humans, but she quickly learnt that her new carers had no intention of hurting her in any manner,’ the sanctuary states.
She was originally afraid of people, according to National Geographic, but rapidly acclimated to her new surroundings.
When staff found Me-mother Bai’s worked in the nearby tourist industry, the owners decided to retire Mae Yui so she could join her children in the refuge.
The two’s emotional reunion was recorded on tape for all to see.
It depicts elephants hugging one other with their trunks and flapping their ears in delight.
The caretakers assumed they were terrified of being separated again after an emotional half-hour together.
Elephants chirp lightly and rub one other’s heads and genitals when startled, according to prior studies conducted at the park by Mahidol University in Thailand and Emory University in the United States.
These acts may be seen in the video.
Because elephant trunks are so sensitive, University of Tennessee psychologist and elephant behavior researcher Preston Foerder believes elephants communicate by touch as well as speech and sight.
Later in the video, the two can be seen amicably walking and eating together.