You know those incredible Instagram photos your friends share when they’re on vacation? The ones where they’re riding an elephant?
Well, I hate to be the one to tell you, but those elephants are snatched from their natural habitat and abused behind closed doors.
Sadly, this trend has been going on for years. There are so many “elephant sanctuaries” where they offer you to ride an elephant and take some pictures for just a few bucks.
Afterward, those gentle giants are chained up while the workers hit them with bull hooks. People who run such establishments make my blood boil!
Luckily, there are always individuals who fight for animal rights and against the establishment who exploit wild animals for their own benefit. Such an amazing individual recently saved a baby elephant, so let’s dive into the story!
Aaron is the founder of Planting Peace, an organization that rescues elephants who have been snatched from their natural habitat.
Just recently, he was informed about a baby elephant named Tofu who was chained to a metal pole with no food or water.
Aaron immediately put his team together and went to visit poor Tofu. Once he arrived, the sight of Tofu pacing in circles, with heavy chains around him broke Aaron’s heart.
He had to negotiate Tofu’s freedom and in the end, he managed to persuade his capturers to release baby Tofu. As Aaron mentioned in his video:
“This was the first baby elephant that I’ve ever rescued. Tofu is going to be rewilded.”
Aaron’s team planned to release Tofu back into the wild. However, they were afraid that once they took his chains off, he might run away.
To make him feel more comfortable around all these new people, Aaron decided to bring along one of their older rescued elephants. The older elephant encouraged little Tofu to take his first steps into freedom!
They walked through the forest and toward an elephant sanctuary, where rescued elephants such as Tofu got a second chance at life.
Once they arrived at the MandaLao elephant sanctuary, Tofu was just moments away from meeting his new mom. A matriarch elephant came to welcome and meet the newcomer!
Tofu approached her and the two started sniffing and hugging each other with their adorable trunks. As Aaron shared:
“It was really sweet to see the matriarch take him in.”
They shared some sugarcane and Tofu was finally free alongside his new mom. Thanks to Aaron, Tofu will spend his life away from heavy metal chains and abusive people.
In the fight against animal cruelty, it’s crucial not to support establishments that use animals for their financial gain.