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‘True love’: Elephants use their bodies to shelter caretaker during heavy rain. Watch here

As the rain intensified, Chailert put on her raincoat, only to be met with a tender gesture from Chaba, one of the elephants.

Chailert stressed on the remarkable emotional intelligence and empathy elephants are capable of expressing (Image source: @lek_chailert/Instagram)

A heart-touching video displaying the extraordinary bond between two elephants and their devoted caretaker has amused animal lovers on the Internet. Shared on Instagram by Lek Chailert, founder of Thailand’s Save Elephant Foundation, the now-viral clip highlights a deeply emotional moment, where elephants Chaba and Thong Ae shielded their caretaker during heavy rain.

Chailert described the heartfelt encounter and wrote, “In the video, as the thunderstorm rolled in, Chaba and Thong Ae instinctively moved closer—trying to shield me from the rain with their bodies.”

As the rain intensified, Chailert put on her raincoat, only to be met with a tender gesture from Chaba. “Chaba gently checked on me, touching me with her trunk, and then gave me a sweet trunk kiss—as if to say, ‘Don’t worry, everything will be okay,’” she wrote.

Chailert stressed on the remarkable emotional intelligence and empathy elephants are capable of expressing. “Elephants are deeply emotional beings. Their love and concern extend beyond their herd. If they trust and care for someone, they welcome that person as one of their own,” she wrote.

She went on to reflect on the broader meaning behind such moments, urging people to see elephants not just as animals, but as sentient beings with complex emotional lives. “If we humans could truly open our hearts and see elephants as fellow beings—not as animals, but as lives equal to our own—we would discover the gentle, sincere beauty they carry. Through their expressions, we witness the true meaning of pure love—a love without conditions, full of empathy, and offered with the deepest sincerity,” Chailert said.

Watch here:

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A post shared by Lek Chailert (@lek_chailert)

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With over three million views, the video won the hearts of many social media users. “Unconditional love, there’s nothing more beautiful!” a user wrote. “True love…this is so beautiful,” another user commented.

“How majestically beautiful to see them nurture you,” a third user reacted.