Few can say they’ve been cuddled and loved by an elephant calf, but the following man has done just that.
In a video uploaded to YouTube, you see an anonymous man lying on the ground while a baby elephant calf gives him loads of cuddles and elephant kisses.
The delightful, minute-long clip has been viewed in excess of 689,000 times, and people just can’t get enough!
Elephants have long been touted as one of the most intelligent creatures on the planet. Scientific American explains that scientists have cataloging stunning examples of elephant intelligence for years, but for the most part, solid elephant experiments have only been conducted in the past 10 years. “Because of recent experiments designed with the elephant’s perspective in mind, scientists now have solid evidence that elephants are just as brilliant as they are big,” Ferris Jabr (via Scientific American) wrote.
“They are adept tool users and cooperative problem solvers; they are highly empathic comforting one another when upset; and they probably do have a sense of self”
Ed Stewart, President and Co-founder of PAWS, thinks elephants’ intelligence and deep social systems are a big reason why they should be kept in the wild.
“Elephants should not be in captivity— period,” he tells Scientific American. “With all of that brainpower— to be limited as they are in captivity— it’s a wonder they cope at all.”
When it comes to acquaintances and friends, elephants also have a ton. A 2011 study (via Daily Mail) suggested that elephants had “larger social networks of ‘friends'” than scientists previously thought. They also found that, just like humans, they differ in levels of extraversion— some prefer big groups of buddies while others like sticking with a few tight pals.
Because elephants don’t have the greatest eyesight, they mainly use their sense of smell and touch to communicate. For example, when it comes to showing affection, elephants are reported to “stroke or caress each other’s heads and backs with their trunks to console or comfort loved ones.
“Calves place the tips of their trunks in their mother’s mouth for reassurance— a gesture repeated by lower-ranking elephants in interactions with the herd’s matriarch.”
They also flap their ears and flick their tails to show their friends and family how much they care. And if you ask me, this little elephant calf seems to be doing all this and more with her newfound human friend!
Watch the heartwarming video for yourself below!
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