Man Opens Arms For Hug From Baby Elephant And Ends Up With More Than He Hoped For

May 05, 2020 by apost team

When Vivian and Arthur, two visitors of the Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, first met Tara, a two-month-old Asian elephant calf whom they were about to spend their day with, they had no idea one of them would end up receiving the biggest hug from the baby elephant.

The Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand is a safe haven for elephants where they are cared for and protected at all times. The organization also offers a program called “Elephant Owner for a Day” that gives guests of the farm a “hands-on experience on participating, sharing responsibilities, and taking care of an elephant." As their website describes, the program is meant to be a “meaningful activity to create trust and relationship between you and your elephant.”

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Vivian and Arthur, two visitors who joined the experience of “Elephant Owner for a Day” were more than excited to meet their elephant for the day, Tara, a two-month-old Asian elephant calf. Vivian made sure to film their interactions with the baby elephant and uploaded some scenes to her YouTube channel where she also explained why they chose to visit the Patara Elephant Farm:

“Unlike other elephant parks in Chiang Mai, the staff and owners at Patara focus solely on the healthcare and the breeding management for these endangered species and aid the recovery process for elephants injured by mine bombs – tourists come second.”

During their day as an elephant owner, Vivian and Arthur got to know what it means to take care of an elephant. Amongst other things, they learned how to approach, bathe, and feed the young calf. 

Shortly before the day was about to end, Arthur opened his arms wide to let Tara know he was ready to give her a hug. Young Tara was more than enthusiastic when she noticed Arthur and walked right up to him.

The young calf threw herself into Arthur’s arms, so much so that he couldn’t keep his balance and fell over, no wonder, as elephant calves can weigh from 200 to 260 pounds. 

Arthur falling over, however, did not stop Tara who got on top of him ready for some cuddles. Instead of moving away from the baby elephant, Arthur gave her exactly what she wanted – more cuddles!

When Arthur is about to get up, Tara wrestles him down once more putting all of her weight on him visibly enjoying being cuddled. But then Tara seems to be satisfied and lets Arthur get back on his feet and he gently strokes her some more.  

Vivian uploaded the video of the sweet interaction to YouTube where it has already been watched 21.3 million times. That’s no wonder, as it is more than adorable to watch.

Have you ever seen anything this cute? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along to others so they can enjoy this cute interaction as well.