It’s no secret that there is an invisible bond between mother and child. This applies not only to humans, but also to animals. The heroes of this story are elephants, who are also no strangers to feelings of kinship.
As a rule, elephants stay close to their mother for 10-15 years. In the wild over such a long period of time, anything can happen. For example, the elephant might go to the rainbow, and then other kindred individuals take care of her baby. Grandmothers, for example.
The connection between elephant generations is very close and strong. And of course, protecting and nurturing her baby, the elephant mother becomes attached to him as her own calf.Elephant cub named Mi Bei lived next to her mother for not more than 3.5 years.
Then she was bought by a tour operator to take tourists around Thailand. The animal, though it looked big, was too young to carry a load on its back. It began to lose weight, and it became unsafe to put people on it.
So Mi Bei was handed over to volunteers who took her to a nature reserve in Chiang Mai Province, where tourists could watch the animals in an environment as close to the wild as possible. At first the young elephant experienced some discomfort, but then she got used to it and got accustomed rather quickly.And here Mee Bei was in for a surprise.
As it turned out, right next door lived her mother Mei Yui, who was also involved in tourism, but then transferred to the reserve.
And though the elephants had not seen each other for more than three years, they immediately recognized each other, began to make joyful sounds, to caress with their trunks. In other words, they showed every kind of joy at their unexpected meeting.
People who were lucky enough to observe the reunion of mother and daughter, had the impression that the animals can not believe their happiness. It is hard to describe the emotion that radiated from both elephants.
No surprise, though. According to a study conducted at Mahidol University Park in Thailand and Emory University in the United States, elephants tend to comfort each other through soft sounds and gentle stroking.
Well, Mi Bei and Mei Yu have been reunited and will now walk together through the reserve to the delight of tourists.