But when the 17-year-old elephant named Thongsri saw her beloved caretaker collapse to the ground, she did something that warmed our hearts.

While enjoying the sun in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Thongsri notices her caretaker getting in a fight with another man.

The other guy fools around with the elephant’s human and knocks him to the ground. But our elephant has no time for jokes. She rushes over and stands guard over the man she has come to love with all her heart.

When I first witnessed the bond the elephant and her caretaker shared, I admit, it brought tears to my eyes.
But I can’t be the only one who had an emotional reaction. At the time of this writing, the video clip has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.