An incredible footage showing a blind elephant dancing and swaying along to a music played by a kindhearted man has recently caught the attention of animal lovers across the globe.
In the footage, Paul Barton can be seen playing a classical Bach number while a gigantic elephant responds to the magical tune by swaying his head in a rhythmic manner.
The British pianist also tells the incredible story of the 62-year-old female elephant, named Lam Duan.
Lam Duan, which means ‘Tree With Yellow Flowers,’ has been blind for several years. Currently, she lives in Elephants World – an animal rescue organization looking after sick, disabled, or old elephants in Thailand.
Lam Duan spent the first 20 years of her life working in the logging trade, after which she spent 10 years in the trekking industry.
She was then looked after by a pair of owners for the next 30 years before finally being moved to Elephants World.
Barton said: ‘I was heartbroken when I first saw Lam Duan arrive at Elephants World in 2012.’
‘She’s so restless. When you play music to her, she stops being restless and is calm. Being blind, she’ll sway back and forth,’ the 57-year-old added.
Barton, who is from East Yorkshire, resides at the shelter with his wife, Khwan. The man regularly plays the piano to all 28 elephants currently present in the facility.
And although some of the elephants, such as bull elephants, are aggressive, Barton still prefers to perform in a completely natural environment without any restrictions.
‘The piano is out in the mountains, so it’s completely free – the elephant can do what it wants,’ he said. ‘These elephants are standing close to you, and there’s kind of a connection that you can’t explain in words.’
Barton hopes to fill up the vacuum in the lives of these fate-stricken elephants through his music.