Man gets more than he bargained for asking baby elephant for hug

It has been scientifically proven that cuddling is actually really healthy and releases a bunch of chemicals in the brain associated with calmness and happiness.

Such a warm embrace and physical expression of affection don’t always have to be shared between two or more humans – some animals love to hug it out as well.

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This baby elephant, for example, gave this man a big hug, and the majestic baby animal didn’t want to stop.

Vivian H., YouTube screenshot Source: Vivian H., YouTube screenshot
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Meet Tara, a two-month-old baby elephant who just loves handing out hugs to human visitors!

The elephant calf is anything but a shy baby and will do everything she can to show all of her love and affection to humans who visit her.

The Asian elephant is still pretty tiny, but the herbivore will eventually weigh anywhere between 2 and 6 tons when’s she’s fully grown up, and she can grow up to 10 feet.

Tara won’t stay hug-sized for long, which gives her all the more reason to start handing them out to humans now.

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Tragically, the Asian elephants are an endangered species and are at risk of extinction.

It would be an absolute shame and a huge loss for nature if these animals would never be able to roam the face of the earth again.

Luckily, there are a few animal organizations out there who do their best to save these beautiful elephants, such as the Patara Elephant Farm.


Vivian H., YouTube screenshot Source: Vivian H., YouTube screenshot
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Over here, the elephants live free and don’t have to worry about anyone hurting them or taking away their habitat – they simply live in peace with each other and their caretakers.

The farm is also open to human visitors, and that’s how this amazing moment happened and got caught on tape.

Vivian H. saw a man named Arthur visiting the farm and saying hello to Tara and her family. What happened next was an affectionate and heartwarming embrace that would go viral around the whole world.


Vivian H., YouTube screenshot Source: Vivian H., YouTube screenshot
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The farm holds a special place in Vivian’s heart because she knows that these animals are properly taken care of.

“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,” she said.


Vivian H., YouTube screenshot Source: Vivian H., YouTube screenshot
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Thanks to the “Elephant Owner for a Day” program, visitors can get to know the elephants, learn how to take care of them, and feed them.

It gives them a unique, hands-on experience in the world of these absolutely magnificent and majestic animals.

Arthur and Vivian participated in the program and were thrilled to spend some time with these elephants. There was one of them that stood out the most: little Tara.

At the end of the day, Arthur actually tried to call out the calf, and much to their surprise, Tara actually responded really well to his call for attention.

Arthur’s arms were already in embrace-mode, and Tara simply walked towards him and gave him a hug – in her own way, of course.


Vivian H., YouTube screenshot Source: Vivian H., YouTube screenshot
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Even though she’s a baby elephant, she could still weigh up to 260 pounds! We’re pretty sure that the hug she gave Arthur was a pretty big one.

You can just tell that these two are having an absolute blast.


Vivian H., YouTube screenshot Source: Vivian H., YouTube screenshot
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Tara doesn’t really have arms to wrap around Arthur, so the hug she gives him resembles more of a tackle.

Of course, the elephant thinks that they’re now playing around and it has quickly turned into a playful wrestling match.

If this was a hugging contest, we’re pretty sure that Tara would always win.

You can check out the amazing video of Tara hugging her new human friend below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Vivan H. (YouTube), Patara, National Geographic

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