“Anytime you get to see an elephant walk free for the first time, it’s incredible.”
After 55 Years in Chains, Tiny the Elephant Is Finally Free
For more than half a century, an elephant named Tiny lived a life of hardship.
Chained and exhausted, he spent each day dragging massive logs through the forests of Thailand — from sunup to sundown, seven days a week.
“From sun up, to sun down, seven days a week, his job was to pull trees behind him,” said Aaron, a rescuer from the nonprofit Planting Peace.
Tiny was one of many elephants forced into logging, a once-common practice that has since been largely banned across Thailand. But despite regulations, some loggers continued the cruel tradition — including Tiny’s owners.
His life was marked by suffering. He was routinely prodded with sharp spears to force obedience. Without proper nutrition, his body withered. His spine protruded from his back, and the sides of his head were sunken in — signs of a lifetime of neglect.
When the team at Planting Peace learned about Tiny’s heartbreaking situation, they knew they had to act.
They contacted Tiny’s owners and struck a deal: if the organization could raise enough funds to buy a tractor as a replacement, Tiny would be freed. So, they turned to the public with a simple, powerful plea:
“Please help rescue Tiny.”
The response was overwhelming. Donations poured in from animal lovers across the globe, and soon the rescue goal was met. Tiny was finally free.
His new home? Following Giants — a serene, 80-acre elephant sanctuary where he could live out the rest of his days in peace, surrounded by other rescued elephants.
“Anytime you get to see an elephant walk free for the first time, it’s incredible,” Aaron said. “It’s an incredible feeling knowing, ‘Wow, this elephant has been pulling trees behind him for 55 years, and now he’ll never know that life again.’”
One of Tiny’s first acts as a free elephant was to walk to the river. He slowly waded in, dipped his head beneath the surface, and splashed joyfully — as if washing away the decades of pain.
Now, after 55 long years, Tiny is finally learning what freedom feels like.