Kind-Hearted Pianist Sharing His Talent and Time with the Blind Elephant

A British musician by the name of Paul Barton dragged out a piano into the middle of an elephant sanctuary and began playing classical music to a blind elephant named Lam Duan. The female elephant’s response was quite human-like. She began swaying from side to side, moving her trunk, and even stepping around as if to dance to the music. In his video, Barton explains that the gentle 62-year-old elephant has been blind for most of her life. Lam Duan spends her days in Elephants World which is an animal protection organization based in Wang Dong, Thailand.

Mr. Barton, originally from East Yorkshire, lives at the shelter with his wife, Khwan, and regularly plays music to the 28 elephants under their care.

Lam Duan, which means ‘Tree With Yellow Flowers”, currently lives in Elephants World in Thailand, an animal rescue facility looking after sick, old, or disabled elephants.

“I was heartbroken when I first saw Lam Duan arrive at Elephants World in 2012. She’s so restless. When you play music to her, she stops being restless and is calm. Being blind, she’ll sway back and forth,” – said Paul Barton.

Lam Duan wasn’t the only elephant to enjoy this gift. There was a whole slew of elephants coming in and listening to Barton’s performance. Some even sang! Well, they sang to the best of their ability.

Though some of the animals, such as bull elephants, can be aggressive, Mr. Barton says he prefers his performances to be completely natural with no restrictions. He added that he can usually tell within a few seconds of performing whether the elephant likes his music choice or not and that he hopes the animals’ lives are a little more fulfilled through these activities.

via [boredpanda]

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