the asian elephant
these giants can weigh up to five tons
so you don’t want to cross paths with
one in thick jungle
uh
oh
[Music]
but this is an elephant
this woman knows well
she was rescued by leg
from a life of toil and hardship
the felling of the forests for hardwood
timber was once common in northern
thailand
and elephants were used as tractors
[Music]
when logging was made illegal in 1989
many elephants were forced to earn their
keep in the tourist industry
and
[Music]
now
lek is working to change the lives of
thailand’s domesticated elephants
[Music]
she is rescuing them from illegal
logging sites circuses and trekking
camps
and giving them a new life
kabu suffered an injury in a logging
camp when she was two years old but she
had to carry on working
for another 23 years
until lec
came to her rescue
the elephants roam here without chains
meeting others and forging new bonds
[Music]
lex sanctuary
also enables visitors to meet these
giants
in the wild
asian elephants live in family groups of
related females
but these individuals
have welcomed lek to be part of their
herd
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
elephants are highly intelligent and
emotional animals
and after years of psychological trauma
these individuals are now putting their
trust
in leg
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
foreign
