Moving: A wild elephant seems to know who helped him a long time ago.
Dr. Pattarapol Maneeon met up with an elephant he treated 12 years ago, but it was a surprise. When Plai Thang was younger, he was very sick. He is now 31 years old. His chances of survival were very low when he was found by a group of volunteers in the wild in Rayong, in the eastern part of Thailand. Trypanosomiasis, anemia, or stiff legs were some of the illnesses that the animals had. It was hard for him to eat or drink water, let alone stand on his own two feet.
When the elephant was hurt, he was taken right away to the Forest Industry Organization, where Dr. Maneeon took care of him and treated him. In a few months, he miraculously started to get better. Before being sent back into the wild, he was first released by a group of people who had come to help him.
This month, the vet who looked after Plai Thang was looking around when he saw his old friend. As for the elephant, he was not sure if he would still recognize him after so many years. It didn’t matter. The vet waved at him. Soon after realizing that he was treated like this 12 years ago, he rushes to show how grateful he is for the man’s kindness once more!
Plai Thang reached into Dr. Maneeon’s trunk to touch the hand that saved his life when he was a child. A moment that was caught on camera! The vet later said that when he first saw Plai Thang, he knew it was him because of the sound he made.
“I can remember the sound very well.” If you ask the vet, “Plai Thang’s noise is very different from other dogs’,” he says. When we first met Plai Thang, he was very angry. His body was weak and he couldn’t fight other elephants because he didn’t have the strength to do so. In the long run, it took a long time for him to get better. We learned that he was smart and took care of himself.
The last time we saw each other was recently, says Dr. Maneeon. During the meeting, “We could remember each other and we said hello.” It was a very important moment. As a result, I hope that everyone will be grateful for the work that people do with elephants.
Source MailOnline
