We can all agree it’s basically a dream situation to be rescued by a baby elephant, especially if you didn’t really need rescuing in the first place. Instead, you just end up being assured that a baby elephant loves you and wants you to be okay.
The Save Elephant Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand, captured little Kham Lha racing to the aid of Darrick Thomson, the co-founder of the foundation and one of her favorite people ever.
Thomson was calling out to her on the shore, and she interpreted his calls as distress cries (he was totally fine, though). Kham Lha charged through the water, sheltering him with her body and offering her trunk for him to hold on to. Crisis averted.
Turns out, Kham Lha loves to hold hands with Thomson; sometimes she even leads him around the park.
The Save Elephant Foundation operates the Elephant Nature Park, where these sweet videos were taken. The staff told CNN Thomson helped rescue Kham La and her mother Bai Teoy in 2015.
“Since he rescued Kham La, he spent time to heal her from the mental [anguish] and has shown love to her,” the staff said. “It’s not long after that, she [made a] strong bond with him, and accepted him to be part of her herd.”
The foundation has rescued more than 70 elephants, most of them elderly or physically compromised. They allow the elephants to roam free and form bonds among themselves.
Their mission is a simple one: “We believe that if we treat animals with love, the animal will paid back to us with love too.”
