Elephants are beautiful creatures that live many years and can have many different experiences.
Those who adore these animals wish to see them enjoying their freedom and roaming as far as they can with their herd.
But sadly that is not always the case. For many communities, elephants giving endless rides to tourists can be the only way for some families to make money.
While some who work in these communities abuse their elephants and give every tourist company in the industry a bad name, not everyone is like this. Many love their elephants, even if they have to put them to work.
The Mahouts Elephant Foundation works with the mahouts and the Karen hill tribe community of northern Thailand to help the elephants they raise and use. This gentle organization was able to rescue Thong Kam from her life of tourism.
If you love seeing elephants bonding, then you will enjoy this video of an elephant herd racing to help a 1-hour-old baby after he tumbled down a hill.
[H/T: The Dodo]
Thong Kam is a 30-year-old elephant with a 4-year-old daughter, Bai Fern.
Thong Kam was part of an elephant riding camp in the Karen hill tribe. She'd been owned by the same family her entire life.
The family that once owned Thong Kam had always wanted to return her to the forest, but they did not have the financial means to let her go.
That is where the Mahouts Elephant Foundation comes in. They work with families like this to try and shift them from trekking lifestyles for the elephants, getting the creatures back to their homes in the forest.
Thong Kam and Bai Fern were rescued in 2015. It took over a year to get the ball rolling, but they began their 80-mile trek home, which took eight days, with members of the organization leading them the entire way.
The two elephants were finally home on World Elephant Day, but that wasn't even the best part. Thong Kam was pregnant!
"Beautiful Sunti — which means 'peace' in Thai — was born on the 28th November last year in the depths of the forest and has lived there since then with his family," Sarah Blaine told the Dodo.
"The family is doing amazingly well and thriving in the forest. They roam freely all day foraging on hundreds of different plants and trees which is vital for an elephant's well being. They walk miles every day," Sarah Blaine, of the Mahouts Elephant Foundation, told LittleThings.
Mahouts Elephant Foundation isn't quite done with their work. They continue to encourage and help mahouts return elephants to their natural homes.
You can help them achieve their goals by donating to the cause here.
You can see more of the incredible work the Mahouts Elephant Foundation does on their Facebook page, Instagram, and website.
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