At the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, a mother elephant and her daughter had a deeply emotional reunion after being separated by the tourist industry for over three years.
The heartwarming moment, which demonstrates the strong emotional attachment that elephants share, was captured on video. MeBai, the daughter, was taken away from her mother Mae Yui at only three and a half years old, and was forced to carry tourists on her back through the streets of Thailand for almost three years, which greatly impacted her health. Luckily, MeBai was rescued by a group of volunteers and taken to the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary, where she was able to live freely again.
“Me-Bai was nervous and wary of people when she first arrived at the sanctuary, but she quickly learned that her new caretakers had no intention of abusing her in any way,” the sanctuary wrote.
Later, her mother was also rescued and taken to a different sanctuary, but the two were reunited by the group who tracked her down. The moment the mother and daughter elephants saw each other after such a long time apart was incredibly moving, with the two cuddling and staying together for nearly an hour. This reunion was a beautiful moment that confirms that an elephant never forgets, especially the love of another elephant.
The elephants will remain at the sanctuary as long as it takes for them to be ready to return in the wild. “The Elephant Nature Park are working together to rehabilitate Mae Yui and Me-Bai so that they can return to the wild and live free,” the sanctuary wrote.
Watch the emotional reunion here!
