It’s a truly majestic and incredible sight: a whole bunch of large elephants lining up to give this kind lady a big and warm hug to show their affection.

And the reason why is even more beautiful.

Unfortunately, the story has a rather tragic beginning.

Elephants are considered to be an endangered species mainly because of two reasons: illegal poaching as well as the destruction of habitat.

It’s estimated that the lives of thousands of elephants are taken every year by illegal poachers who kill the majestic animals for their tusks. Ivory is extremely popular on the black market and there’s plenty of money to be made, but at the terrible expense of these innocent animals.

This horrendous practice where the tusks are cut off is illegal, but most of the poachers simply can’t be found and brought to justice. They’re smart and usually only work during the night, and they know how to cover their tracks and keep a low profile. As a result, only a small amount of elephant poachers are ever caught.

Due to the killing of elephants, tons of baby elephants are left without their mothers.

Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick and her husband David have been passionate about saving elephants for decades. In fact, the couple has been taking care of baby elephants since 1977.

And most of these animals were very difficult to care for, as most of them had tons of medical issues, both physical and emotional. These poor elephants simply weren’t the same anymore without their mothers around, but the kind couple tried to give them the best life they could.

After Daphne’s husband passed away, she founded the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in his honor.

These two have built up such a fantastic initiative, and Daphne wanted to continue in her late husband’s legacy.

A large elephant rehabilitation center was built where the baby and young elephants are taken in and are properly cared for. There’s plenty of room to play around, and they feel at home while staying safe from poachers.

Without a mother, some of these animals really don’t know what to do. That’s why every one of them gets assigned a personal handler to make sure that they get all the love, attention and help they need and deserve.

After a while, the organization even came up with a special milk formula for the orphaned elephants.

The drink is a great substitute for an elephant’s mother milk and should be similar in both quality and taste. After all, in order for elephants to grow to their majestic sizes, it’s essential that they get all the nutrients and vitamins they need.

After a while, these orphaned elephants are deemed mature enough to move to another safe haven.

Their goal is simple: make sure that all the babies are recovered from their injuries and grow well. When they’re fully rehabilitated, they’re sent to Tsavo National Park, which is a safe relocation center. Eventually, they’re released back into the wild if it’s deemed safe and responsible.

Daphne always enjoys seeing the elephants she practically raised back in their natural habitat. Aside from elephants, Dr. Sheldrick has also started to take in rhino’s, for the same reason as the elephants. Illegal poaching has dramatically brought their numbers down, and orphaned rhinos are being left behind to die.

As a thank you for the years of raising them, the elephants have an incredible amount of respect and love for Daphne.

The woman says that the love she gets from the elephants is “like humans, only better.”

“They’re not corrupted,” she says. “Their sense of family is as strong as ours. Their memories are amazing and their convoluted thinking and reasoning is equal to that of a human … The caring and nurturing is far greater in elephants than it is in humans, and loyalty and friendship endures.”

Unfortunately, Daphne Sheldrick has passed away due to breast cancer last year. However, her memories and legacy will live on. The couple has made a huge difference in the lives of many elephants, and it shows. Truly inspiring!

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Source: argofilms, Did You Know Animals?