by Pianist Plays Healing Music For 80-Year-Old Rescue Elephant-Elephant Stories
Elephants are such majestic creatures. Elephants World in Thailand strives to protect elephants and rescue those who have been ᴀʙᴜsᴇᴅ or raised in captivity. They treat these gentle giants with as much respect as they can.
Asian elephants have been a symbol of Thailand since ancient times and these magnificent animals are currently recognised as part of the national identity. Elephants have played an important part in Thailand’s history and today the Thai elephant is an enduring symbol of Thailand. The elephant also has special spiritual significance with its deep associations with .
For 80-year-old Ampan, her days aspecies and is ʙʟɪɴᴅ 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. Paul studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in London as a teenager before pursuing a career as a concert pianist. After some success, he soon realised it was not the life that he wanted.
He travelled to Thailand in the 1990s to teach piano temporarily, which quickly turned into a permanent stay once he met his wife. The pair work together in their art studio in Thailand, whilst Paul also has his own recording studio in Bangkok. He currently gives free online piano tutorials and lessons alongside playing the piano for the elephants over at Elephants World. Paul was also part of Amazon’s 2017 documentary, Music for Elephants.
