Baby elephant Ellie was rejected by his herd shortly after he was born. But fortunately, Karen Tredler and the staff of Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage in South Africa took him in and cared for him. Though the elephant fought off death and managed to regain his health, Karen noticed that the rejection also wounded Ellie’s heart. And it was then that she decided to introduce the baby pachyderm to a dog named Duma. Now their friendship is melting hearts across the whole world—and when you see these two playing together, you’ll see why! Check out the adorable clip below:
When Ellie arrived at Thula Thula Rhino Orphanage, he had serious health problems. The entire area around his navel was an open wound, which led to a serious blood infection. Ninety-nine percent of cases like Ellie’s are fatal. But Karen and the staff at Thula Thula wouldn’t give up on the baby elephant and cared for him 24 hours a day.
Against all odds, Ellie survived. But even though the baby elephant beat his health problems, Karen noticed that his heart wasn’t fully healed. Because elephants are social beings that live in herds, Ellie needed a family. So after many unsuccessful attempts to introduce Ellie to other elephants, Karen decided to have Ellie meet Thula Thula’s dog Duma.
Against all odds, Ellie and Duma are family now!
Watch this heartwarming video to see for yourself why Ellie and Duma’s friendship went viral and won the hearts of animal lovers everywhere.
Please share this story beautiful story of friendship with all of the animal lovers in your life!
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