• Kate BratskeirFood and Health Editor, The Huffington Post
• Oliver NobleSenior Video Producer, The Huffington Post

This video from Huffington Post is all over the net, but I couldn’t resist. It makes me chuckle  and remember my hug with an elephant! Here I am making a first move to hug this gentle giant.  Of course the handler is there with his trusty stick, in case she  is not in the hugging mood!  I was glad it  turned out to be  a friendly hug!  I would have loved to had this interaction with baby elephants!

This was a female elephant.  They live in groups with the babies and other females.  The bulls are very fierce and loners, only visiting the females during mating season.  I learned  this in Jaipur that there were only 3 bulls in this area where the elephants are a main draw for tourists.    They  had to be kept  away from each other.