Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Kham-La the elephant has found her soulmate, and his name is Darrick Thomson, one of the elephant trainers at Elephant Nature Park.
Anytime Thomson calls out Kham-La's name, she comes running to give him a hug.
In this video, Thomson talks about when he was floating in the river and Kham-La got concerned and started running toward him to rescue him from the water.
"I wasn't trying to make her scared or anything, but that's how she responded to seeing me in the river floating by," he said. Kham-La pushed him to shore, tucked him under her and smelled him to make sure he was OK.
Thomson said he and Kham-La share a special bond, and she treats him as if he is her own child. Thomson was on the trip that rescued Kham-La and her herd in June 2015, and he helped transport them back to the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary. Ever since, he has been accepted as a member of the herd.
"When she sees me, she runs and calls everybody else to come along and join," he said. He added that Kham-La likes to tuck him between her legs and squeeze him tight so he can't go anywhere.
Thomson said Kham-La doesn't do it with any of the other people at the nature park, and he isn't sure why she chose him, as he never brought her special foods or treats.
"It's not a bond based on rewards," he said. "It's like finding a soulmate, really. I love her with all my heart, and she reciprocates."
Thomson sometimes has to leave for days at a time for other animal projects he is a part of, and said Kham-La would always give him the cold shoulder when he returned. So when he had to leave for 14 months because of other work, he didn't expect a huge welcome back.
But when he arrived, Kham-La came "running and flapping" to see him and grabbed him by the hand and pulled him close in an emotional reunion so sweet it will bring tears to anyone's eyes.
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