The striking similarity between humans and animals can be truly astonishing at times. I’m not referring to physical appearance, as the closest resemblance lies among primates and that’s about it.
Animals consistently manage to astound and inspire us through their mental abilities, sometimes comparable to those we often associate exclusively with humans. This encompasses emotions, empathy, the potential for creativity, and more.
Believe it or not, a captivating instance of this is a blind elephant’s preference for dancing to classical music.
Consider this example: A British musician named Paul Barton brought a piano into the heart of an elephant sanctuary and began playing classical music for a blind elephant named Lam Duan.
The female elephant’s reaction? Remarkably human-like. She commenced swaying from side to side, moving her trunk, and even stepping around as if dancing to the music.
In his video, Barton explains that Lam Duan, the gentle elderly elephant, has been blind for most of her life. This 62-year-old elephant spends her days at ElephantsWorld, an animal protection organization in Wang Dong, Thailand. Barton proceeds to serenade her with soothing classical pieces by Frédéric Chopin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, and Erik Satie.
This musician transported his piano to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand to serenade retired elephants.
What adds a touch of charm to this tale is the notion of a compassionate pianist sharing his talent and time with someone blind, someone who cannot appreciate the beauty of sight but can nonetheless enjoy the essence of sound. It’s akin to reading to the blind, only with music.
Barton conceived this idea while filming a video for his channel on the River Kwai bridge. There, he discovered about an elephant sanctuary caring for old, injured, handicapped logging, and street elephants. As he held an affinity for elephants, he visited the sanctuary and proposed playing the piano for the elephants. They readily welcomed the idea.
Lam Duan isn’t the sole elephant basking in the soothing sounds of Bach, Chopin, and Schubert.
Believe it or not, Lam Duan wasn’t the only elephant to relish this gift. A whole procession of elephants gathered to listen to Barton’s performance. Some even sang, well, sang to the best of their ability. There’s even a video of him playing the Saiyok, a traditional Thai flute, for an elephant named Plara.
In an interview with Coconuts Bangkok, Barton clarified that nearly all elephants react to music. They begin moving as soon as the music commences. Some draw nearer to the piano and start caressing it with their trunks, while others hold their trunks in their mouths and listen. Yet others, like Lam Duan, sway side to side. All exhibit curiosity as soon as the piano’s melody reaches their ears.
