Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video.

Most people know that elephants are incredibly smart. But more people need to know just how strongly they feel emotions.

Sook Jai is a very special elephant. She is now in her mid-70s. She only found freedom a few years ago. And her story is truly heartbreaking.

When she was young, Sook Jai was forced to work on the streets of Thailand as a begging elephant.

She went from owner to owner over the decades, often being treated cruelly.

Then, when she reached her 70s, her current owner realized that she was of no further use.

Luckily, before the owner killed Sook Jai, Elephant Nature Park learned of her existence.

The organizers pleaded with the owner to hand her over. The owner eventually agreed.

When Sook Jai was away from the owner, the rescuers inspected her. They were shocked at what they discovered.

Sook Jai was covered in wounds. Some scars were incredibly old. But others were fresh. Clearly, the elephant had been treated terribly for so many years.

She was also completely blind and mostly deaf.

Soon, the rescuers had arranged transport for Sook Jai.

They loaded her onto the back of a truck and set off for the sanctuary. But first, they set up a canvas around the truck to protect her from the elements.

On the drive, the rescuers began treating some of her fresh wounds.

Then they piled food into Sook Jai’s compartment. But she wouldn’t eat. She was still terrified of being hurt and didn’t want to risk eating, in case that angered the humans.

During one part of the journey, the weather got so that the rescuers had to remove the canvas away from the edge of the truck. Otherwise, Sook Jai would become too hot.

They also poured water over her.

At that point, Sook Jai began to realize something. She began to think that the new humans around her would not mistreat her.

Of course, after so much mistreatment, the elephant was still wary.

But as the truck drove along, Sook Jai began to believe that she was safe. And this belief made her react emotionally.

Sook Jai started crying large tears. The rescuers were amazed. They knew that this was bittersweet. The elephant was hoping that things would continue to be this good. But she was also thinking over the more than half-century of abuse she had had to endure to get to this point.

Then Sook Jai began waving her trunk in the air. It was as if she were grasping freedom for the first time. All of the rescuers were touched.

Then Sook Jai finally arrived at the sanctuary.

She slowly got off of the truck and began to splash around near the river.

For the first few days, Sook Jai would mostly stick to this river. But then, as she grew more confident and felt safer, she began to explore the entire enclosure

Then something even more amazing happened. For the first time in her life, Sook Jai began to socialize with other elephants.

Another female elephant at the sanctuary, DiPor began standing close to her. As the days passed, they became ever more friendly.

Sook Jai’s story has touched many people online.

A YouTube video of her rescue has managed to gain over 800,000 views. It also has more than 5,400 likes and hundreds of comments. People have been saying things like this:

Sook Jai will now live out her final years in the sanctuary. It is tragic that it took so long for her to find happiness and safety. But she will cherish any moment that she has left.

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Source: elephantnews, Elephant Nature Park, Elephant Nature Park