WATCH: Filmmaker sleeps on baby elephant with mama elephant's approval
Beautiful connections can exist between animals and humans...
Not every animal story you hear is positive, but that's neither here nor there when it comes to judging them.
Because just as you and I have issues with trust and with having a bad day, so too do animals.
And sometimes we do not give them that. We use and abuse them, and then judge them when they act following their natural instincts.
But there are still those people who believe in the sanctity of connecting with animals and fighting for their rights.
One such person is a filmmaker by the name of Andrew Malcolm.
He recently shared an old video of his interaction with mama elephant Maenoi and her baby, Sandy.
WATCH the below video of him sleeping on baby Sandy, courtesy of TikTok.
@andrewmalcolmfilms Sleeping with baby Sandy is a dream. Her mother and I have known each other for many years and I feel a safe around her as I would my own mother. Supporting elephants and their caregivers is crucial to their survival in Asia in the 21st century. International pressure is increasing to make sure places like this end traditional practices like elephant shows and chair-back rides. Currently mama is on a chain to protect her and baby Sandy; who can be attacked by other elephants in the herd. They walk with each other every day separately from the group. When she is old enough, she and her mom will rejoin the herd, and spend 16-18 hours a day freely roaming. Unfortunately, to protect them from poaching, being killed by villagers, and dying from eating agricultural poison, elephants do have to be restrained at night. But even practices around how when and for how long are evolving. . . #fyp #elephant #elephants #baby #cutebaby #dream #traveltiktok #thailand ♬ original sound - andrewmalcolmfilms
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He advocates for the elephants and their caregivers. For Maenoi and her baby, who are chained for their own safety, believe it or not, it is about showing them love and support.
It is also about showing the elephant's caregiver's support. There is international pressure to make sure that practices such as elephant chair rides and shows end.
WATCH this playful video of Andrew playing with Sandy. Courtesy of TikTok.
@andrewmalcolmfilms This is my beautiful friend the baby elephant Sandy. Her mother Maenoi and I go back five years. When this video was taken Sandy was three weeks old, and she and her mother were being kept restrained , away from the rest of the herd. This is as much for Sandy’s safety as it is for people. This camp once did elephant back rides and circus shows. Now elephants are only restrained in the evenings, which is necessary to keep them safe from surrounding villages and herbicides in crops. No one wants to see elephants on chains, but through international pressure, and tourist revenue, models are changing about how elephant ownership is being handled all across the region. Through support and clearly stating we want elephant welfare to be the top priority, we can improve the lives of all of these amazing animals, and hopefully baby Sandy will be one of the first of a generation of elephants that love being treated well, loved by her handler (which she already is) and free to live as wild and free a life as is possible for a semi-domesticated elephant in 21st Century South East Asia. #elephant #fyp #babyanimals #traveltiktok #baby #thailand #thailand🇹🇭 ♬ snowfall - Øneheart & reidenshi
Image Courtesy of TikTok