In a rather rare yet adorable incident, a wild elephant recognised the veterinary who had treated him 12 years ago. The 31-year-old mammal remembered his vet Dr Pattarapol Maneeon. Apparently, he also reached out to the human with his trunk after seeking his attention by making a distinct sound. The incident took place in Thailand.

As per a report in the Daily Mail, the elephant identified as Plai Thang was caught on camera while he made the heart-warming gesture towards Dr Maneeon. The elated vet, told the media portal that he was overwhelmed by the gesture and recognised Plai Thang with his distinct sound. The lovely reunion happened while the doctor was on his patrolling duty in the wild. The veterinary also added that he wants this incident to encourage more and more people to appreciate the work that people are doing for the welfare of animals.

The first meeting between the elephant and Maneeon was back in 2009, when Plai Thang was severely ill as he was suffering from fever, loss of appetite, swelling on face, stomach, and neck. Further, he was also going through a parasitic condition and had also got inflamed eyes, stiff legs and back and anaemia.

For the treatment, the big mammal was brought to the Forest Industry Organisation's territory in Lampang. He was given adequate treatment and care during his stay there by the staff from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Once he recovered fully, he was released in the wild. Ever since he has been doing well.

Recollecting the days when he was treating the animal who was in a near death condition, the doctor said that he was very aggressive and his body was very weak and unable to fight other fellow elephants. But over the period of time he himself learnt how to take care and healed. The process of his recovery was long, but eventually he did recover fully. For the unversed, elephants are the national animal of Thailand. There are approximately 3000-4000 elephants in the country out of which half are domesticated.