For 80-year-old Ampan, her days as an elephant have been long indeed. She has lived a full decade past the average lifespan of her species and is blind in both her eyes.
As a beautiful gift for this ancient creature, one of the volunteers leads her to a clearing where a piano has been set up. Sitting down at the keys, the pianist plays Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.”
The notes almost have a healing effect as Ampan immediately reacts to the music. She snorts and flaps her ears. Her trunk sways back and forth, curling and uncurling in time to the melody.The camera zooms into her gentle eyes. They blink and almost seem to well up with tears at the generous gift this musician has given to Ampan. You can see the wisdom and serenity in those eyes.
At the conclusion of the piece, the pianist stands up from the piano bench to give Ampan a hug. The elephant and human embrace each other like longtime friends, giving comfort to each other.This heartwarming gesture of love toward a fellow creature of the earth is just one of the outstanding examples of how Elephants World seeks to save and rehabilitate the elephants of Thailand.
