Gentle Giants

Ayeya May, an orphaned baby elephant rescued by the Winkabaw Elephant Camp in Myanmar, recently received a special, intimate concert for one. 

The starving youngster has been distraught without his mother, but he was comforted when elephant whisperer Lek Chailert  - founder of Save Elephant Foundation and Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in Thailand - visited Winkabaw. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chailert is a skilled elephant whisperer. As seen in the video above, she gently feeds the young elephant milk from a bottle and sings him a lullaby. Ayeya May, clearly soothed by the woman’s soft voice, first rests his trunk around her arm in an elephant hug. He eventually becomes so enchanted by the tune that he settles to the ground, closes his eyes and allows Chailert to pet his belly. The interaction is touching but bittersweet, considering the poorly baby elephant needs and likely misses its real mother.

Ayeya May is one of three baby orphaned elephants currently being cared for at Winkabaw. Young elephants in the wild stay with their mothers for 16 years, while these babies and others like them are often ripped away from their families at 6 months due to the elephant tourism (such as trekking camps) and logging industries. Chailert’s Save Elephant Foundation, in partnership with Elephant Nature Park, saves innumerable elephants by working with trekking camps and convincing them to treat their animals more humanely and eventually phase out tourism, hopefully transitioning into a sanctuary model.

NEVER ride elephants, NEVER give your money to places that make elephants do unnatural activities like painting, massage, headstands, circuses, even ZOOS. Do your research and save these gentle giants from human greed and abuse!

“Love will draw an elephant through a key-hole.“ - Samuel Richardson

Elephants are amazing animals who deserve so much more than a life of imprisonment, abuse, & exploitation.

Please, DON'T support "attractions" that profit from their suffering: Boycott zoos, circuses, elephant rides, and roadside attractions involving animals. 

Africa's elephant population has suffered its worst drop in 25 years, reported the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), blaming the plummeting numbers on poaching.