British pianist plays classical music to soothe elephants at Thai sanctuary

For eight years, British classical pianist Paul Barton, 57, has played music for rescued #elephants to soothe their emotions.

The giant animals - mostly old, overworked and sometimes disabled - have been rehabilitated with music at Elephants World, a retirement sanctuary for the animals in West Thailand.

Paul Barton plays the piano for Lam Duan, a 65-year-old blind Thai elephant to give her peace at Elephants World, a retirement sanctuary for the animals in the western Thai province of Kanchanaburi on an unknown day in 2018. [File photo: IC]

While listening to the classics like Bach and Beethoven, the elephants in turn sway to the rhythm, and sometimes even sing along.

The owner of the sanctuary, Samart Prasithpol, 44, said the music seemed to comfort the elephants.

The elephants are free to come up to the piano as they please, and sometimes, even wild monkeys join them as they listen to the song.

After Lam Duan approached Barton and appeared to calm down and focus on the music. Several elephants seemed to begin moving their heads about in front of the piano as the notes flowed. [File photo: IC]

"Maybe some of these blind elephants get a little bit of comfort from hearing pieces of soothing classical music occasionally," says Barton, who studied at London's Royal Academy of Arts and has lived in Thailand for over 20 years.