Sook Jai’s story is just one of the many reasons that it’s best to avoid tourist attractions involving wild animals. These creatures don’t exist for our entertainment – and they’re not commodities.

A life of misery

Elephants are very intelligent animals and they’ve been known to express emotions such as sadness and mourning.

It’s thought that when Sook Jai was young, she was captured and forced to learn to beg for money on the streets of Thailand for her masters.

She had many owners over the years and though it was clear that she was abused throughout her life, she was finally rescued in 2017 at the age of 73 from the Elephant Nature Park.

Her owners had planned to kill her since she was no longer of use to them, but the rescue workers at the park heard about the plan prior to that and arranged to take her in instead.

They reported that she was “completely blind and mostly deaf” by that point, and she had many old injuries.

“She was in very poor condition with a lot of wounds on her head and her body as each time she was treated with violence. On January 24, Elephant Nature Park’s rescue team went to pick her up from a location near Kanchanaburi province, west Thailand.”

That fateful day

As rescuers loaded her onto a truck, they surrounded the bed of the truck in canvas so she would be protected from the elements on her long journey.

“On the ride, she looked very hungry but would not eat anything as the suspense was too much.”

As it got too hot, they removed the canvas and poured water over her, caring for her injuries as they drove along. It would take some time for her to learn to trust, but they wanted to get off to a good start with gentle care.

The journey to freedom took 20 hours, according to the park, and was eager to take her first steps into her new home.

“Finally the day came to take her journey and when we arrived in the Park, Sook Jai reached up her trunk to smell her new home, sending low rumbles out into the field, tears running down her face,” the Elephant News YouTube channel wrote as the video caption.

A video shows the tears running down her cheeks – and those of her rescuers as well. In fact, we had no luck keeping our own eyes dry while watching this beautiful creature finally get the life she deserves after so much pain. It’s as if she knew she was finally safe.

A new life

After her tearful entry into her new life, Sook Jai settled in well.

The rescue park said that in her first days, she would leave her enclosure and go directly to the river, but soon she felt safe enough to wander the property and explore.

She’s especially fond of the mud pit. And even though she’s blind, she knows right where to go to play!

You can see updates on the park on their Facebook page.

Be sure to scroll down below to see the story of Sook Jai’s rescue after decades of abuse.

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Source: YouTube – Elephantnews, Elephant Voices, National Geographic, Elephant Nature Park, Facebook – TheElephantNaturePark