When Kham Lha’s human is in danger, this young pachyderm will rush to the rescue.
According to TheDodo Darrick Thomson, the founder of the Save Elephant Foundation, didn’t really need saving – but Kham Lha still rushed to his rescue in a video that has gone viral.
When Thomson called out to her – she mistook the situation, believing he was in distress and quickly jumped into action.
Kham Lha was rescued from the tourist industry by Thomson in 2015, and taken to Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park.
"Since he rescued Kham La, he spent time to heal her from the mental [anguish] and has shown love to her," the staff said according to CNN. "It's not long after that, she [made a] strong bond with him, and accepted him to be part of her herd."
While in captivity, Kham Lha was subjected to elephant “crushing” – a form of training where an elephant is placed in a cage and tied down so it cannot kick or even raise its head. According to the National Geographic, trainers will then stab their feet with nails at the end of sticks to teach them to raise their feet, beating the elephants when they make mistakes.
Thomson’s foundation meanwhile believes that if you treat an animal with love, the animal will respond accordingly.
-Both videos were posted to YouTube by elephantnews.
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