A touching moment involving a herd of elephants has left the internet enchanted, as a viral video captures a female elephant gently expressing jealousy in the most endearing and heartwarming way.
The video, shared by Lek Chailert (founder of the Save Elephant Foundation), has garnered over 234k views and sparked heartwarming reactions from viewers across the internet. In the clip, Chailert is seen singing to a herd of elephants, with several of them swaying joyfully to the melody. However, one elephant, Thong Ae, had a special request—she wanted the song to be just for her.
(Also read: Elephant gently leads caretaker to sing as herd gathers in a circle to listen: ‘Act of love’)
‘She gently pulled me away’
In the video, Thong Ae can be seen reaching out with her trunk, softly pulling Chailert away from beneath another elephant named Faa Mai, in what appeared to be a jealous attempt to gain exclusive attention.
Watch the clip here:
{{/usCountry}}Watch the clip here:
{{/usCountry}}Sharing the video on social media, Chailert wrote:
“Many people may wonder if elephants feel jealousy. Elephants express jealousy in the cutest ways—direct, clear, and never harmful. Their emotions are genuine and openly shown. Today, while I was singing to the herd and many elephants were swaying happily to the music, Thong Ae wanted me to sing just for her. She reached out with her trunk, gently pulled me out from under Faa Mai’s belly, and tried to stop me from singing to Faa Mai again.”
Animals feel too, says Chailert
In a heartfelt continuation of her post, Chailert added:
“This is one example of the emotional expressions of elephants that I want to share with the world. Animals have emotions just like humans. They may not speak our language, but if we open our hearts and minds to observe their actions, we will begin to truly understand them.”
Social media reacts with love
The video prompted a wave of admiration and affectionate responses. One user commented, “Even the jealousy is gentle and beautiful, no wonder they are called gentle giants.” Another said, “She needed a little extra love today.”
Some users were deeply moved by the elephants’ emotional awareness, with one noting, “They absolutely cannot get enough of your presence—it seems~ Amazing expressions of love!!”
Another added, “It's such a great educational service you are doing – all your videos make me love elephants even more.”
Others shared personal stories and reflections, with one saying, “That’s hilarious! My dog gets jealous if I get more attention than her!” while another wrote, “So amazing, so gentle but also so firm on saying what she wants.”