Amid the rustling leaves of the Thai jungle, soothing notes from a piano wrapped injured and elderly elephants in a gentle embrace.
Since 2011, pianist Paul Barton has been performing for rescued elephants at Elephants World, a sanctuary near Kanchanaburi, Thailand. He believes that the timeless works of Bach and Beethoven can help rehabilitate animals.
In one touching moment, a young elephant curiously picked up sticks under the piano stool, then began to play along, pressing the keys with his trunk as if joining the music. Clips shared from the sanctuary show the elephants captivated, moving freely around the piano — unchained and untethered, free to leave if they wished.
Barton, from East Yorkshire, first discovered the sanctuary while filming a video about the River Kwai bridge. He was drawn to the place, known as a retirement home for elephants who had endured hard lives, and decided to bring his piano to share music with them.
He customizes his performances for the elephants, playing slow classical pieces and removing sections unlikely to hold their attention. Today, more than 30 rescued, retired, sick, or abused elephants call Elephants World home.
‘The elephants are free to walk about around the piano, they are not chained or tethered in any way. If they didn’t like the music then they could simply wander off.
Paul Barton, along with his wife Khwan and daughter Emilie, now live at the sanctuary, dedicating their lives to the elephants. A trained pianist and fine arts graduate from the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Barton moved to Thailand 22 years ago to teach piano — and found a new calling among the gentle giants.
