Elephants are known for being some of the most intelligent creatures on Earth, and they exhibit many of the same emotions that humans do. Now, a video is going viral showing a man communicating with elephants in a truly astounding way!

Darrick is a caring human who has developed a strong bond with the elephants who live at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. Though he loves all of the elephants who live there, he is particularly close to one elephant, Kham La.

Whenever Kham La and the other members of the herd hear Darrick on the grounds of the park, they do something that is nothing short of amazing. Footage of one of his latest visits to the park is going viral, and it’s not hard to see why!

As soon as Kham La and her fellow elephants hear Darrick calling to them, they all go running right for him! Kham La is always in the lead, rushing to see her good friend above the others.

The Elephant World website states that this kind of reaction from elephants to the humans they love is not unusual.

“There are some heroic stories as well of elephants stepping in to help humans. It can be to protect them from animals including other elephants at times. They have been able to help them when natural disasters occur, moving heavy items to get to people and to rescue them,” the website says. “Most researchers aren’t surprised by these acts at all though. This is because they elephant is well known for being intelligent and capable of experiencing the same emotions as humans.”

It’s so touching to see the way these elephants react to Darrick. Check out the video for yourself below!