The sight of an 80-year-old elephant swaying its ears gently to the delicate notes of Debussy’s Clair de Lune is nothing short of magical. It’s almost as if the majestic creature can truly feel the music, responding with a peaceful grace that defies its immense size. Instead of fear or aggression, there is only serenity—a testament to the deep bond that can exist between humans and animals when treated with kindness. In a world where elephants are too often hunted or mistreated, it’s heartwarming to know that there are places where they are cherished, even serenaded by a pianist who plays just for them. As the famous saying goes, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him,” and this moment is a beautiful example of that truth.
We’ve long known that elephants are among the most sophisticated and intelligent creatures on our planet. After all, these gentle giants have their own complex traditions and rituals. They play with their children, and they mourn their dead. They use sticks to scratch themselves, they recognise themselves in mirrors, and they can remember water sources and migration routes for decades, passing these priceless secrets from one generation to the next.
So it should come as little surprise to learn that elephants seem to respond emotionally to music. Take a look at the video below, in which a gentle female elephant called Ampan gets serenaded with a performance of Debussy‘s tranquil ‘Clair de lune’.
Ampan is 80 years old and lives at Elephants World in Thailand. Blind in one eye, Ampan can barely see with the other. Eighty in elephant terms is old age – about ten years past the natural life span for an elephant in the wild.
We think you’ll agree that Ampan is a very respectful audience. Her only reaction is the flapping of those big elephant ears. Which, incidentally, is a very good sign. Elephants typically flap their ears as a sign of enjoyment and excitement. The flapping on their skin also alerts other elephants nearby to direct their attention.
A wonderful performance, too, from Paul Barton on the piano – you can check out more of his videos on YouTube.
A gentle, sensitive elephant who enjoys music
Need more elephants and music? Here is Mongkol, a 61-year-old male elephant from Elephants World, enjoying Beethoven‘s Moonlight Sonata. A former logging elephant, Mongkol spent much of his hard life hauling trees around the Thai forests. His body shape has been deformed through hard labour, and he lost his right eye and tusk during his years of work.
He was then rescued and brought to Elephants World to spend the rest of his days relaxing peacefully in freedom by the River Kwai. ‘I discovered Mongkol is an extremely gentle, sensitive elephant who enjoys music, especially this slow movement by Beethoven which I play to him occasionally in the day and night,’ says Paul.
