A touching reunion has taken place between a British zookeeper and an Asian elephant he cared for over 30 years ago.
Peter Adamson, a former keeper at Calderpark Zoo in Glasgow, Scotland, was reunited with Kirsty, an elephant he had looked after in the early 1970s before she moved away in 1987.
Mr. Adamson had lost touch with Kirsty but recently discovered that she had moved to Neunkirchen Zoo in the western state of Saarland, Germany. He arranged a visit and was overjoyed that Kirsty instantly recognized him.
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During their reunion, Kirsty curled her trunk around Mr. Adamson and allowed him to stroke her. He said, “That she allowed me to get close and accepted me was a very emotional experience for me. I will always keep that memory in my heart.”
While some may question how Kirsty recognized her former caretaker after so many years, zookeepers suggested that she may have recognized Mr. Adamson’s voice.
Born in 1967, Kirsty had lived in several European zoos throughout her life. She had lived in Chester, North-West England, where she met her companion, Judy, and later moved to Dublin before settling in Neunkirchen Zoo.
Despite being described as “dominant over members of her species,” Kirsty is also known to be intelligent and willing to learn.
Mr. Adamson plans to visit Kirsty as often as he can now that he knows where she lives. His heartwarming reunion with Kirsty is a reminder of the strong bonds that can be formed between animals and humans.
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