Mama elephant Mae Yui and her calf MeBai shared a big hug as they wrapped their trunks around each after a gratifying reunion earlier this year, reports Jake Poldon for Daily Mail Online. With human intervention, and very caring humans at that, they were both relocated to the Elephant Nature Park in the Chiang Mai Province of Thailand.

Reunion of Mama elephant Mae Yui with her baby MeBai at the Elephant Nature Park

The story begins when baby MeBai was taken from her mother at age 3 and a half after she was sold to a company providing elephants for the tourist industry. Immediately forced into a training program to prepare her to carry tourists on her back MeBai began to deteriorate rapidly.

(After all, she was just a baby and although the training is not described, the aftereffects of her experience were. So, one knows it must have been unjust and unkind. No elephant whether adult, adolescent or baby should ever be subjected to any confinement or training of this sort for the purpose of human entertainment. Never, never, never…  Savannah Crisp)

As MeBai was unable to fulfill her duties in the “elephant riding service” and as the baby elephant’s health was affected by her rapid weight loss, her owners, thankfully, agreed to relinquish her to the founder of the Elephant Nature Park, Lek Chailert.

Elephant Nature Park founder Lek Chailert with another baby elephant Navaan in 2012

Upon arrival at the Elephant Nature Park MeBai was quite afraid of the sanctuary workers as in her mind they represented the humans who had most recently abused her. But with encouragement and kindness from her new caretakers she responded and became a content and happy elephant. But there is more to this story!

While MeBai was enduring her own ordeal her mother Mae Yui was not far away.  She was subjected to the same kind of treatment as her baby as she labored carrying humans around for the same kind of “trekking company.”

With MeBai safe at the sanctuary, Lek Chailert set out on a mission to find Mae Yui. The owner of the Mother elephant agreed to relinquish her to Lek after she “invited them to learn more about the sanctuary’s Pamper a Pachyderm program” (which allows tourists to see elephants in the wild on the elephant’s terms) on the grounds of her Elephant Nature Park. The reunion was almost complete!

As they found each other again, mama and daughter lost no time in relishing the life that was stolen from them. Careful at first, as they were fearful of another separation, they have embraced the rehabilitation process just as they embraced themselves .The latest word is that both MeBai and Mae Yui have now been enjoying life in the wild as well they should.

Photo of elephants: Elephant News on YouTube from the Daily Mail Also see the Video there.

Photo of Lek Chailert: Elemanxx on Wikipedia