Photo Credit: Lek Chailert via Facebook

This elderly elephant, rescued at 70 years old, is finally learning to be free – though she certainly doesn’t look her age in these pictures that show her giddily enjoying her newfound freedom.

Known as the grandmother of the Elephant Nature Park rescue and rehabilitation center in Thailand, Noi Nah was rescued just last month from a long and hard life being used as an entertainment animal in the country’s tourist industry.

When Noi Nah first arrived, she was extremely thin and worn, and understandably carried a lot of the anger and distrust she’d learned from her difficult life used as human entertainment. After she arrived at the park and was released from a chain, she ran uncontrollably and displayed aggressive behavior to those who were trying to help.

Fortunately, after an elephant-sized portion of TLC and another chance at life, in just a few days she became aware that she was finally in safe hands. She follows her caregiver Patee, known as a mahout, everywhere and is now in a place where she knows she is loved and the abuse has ended. She’s not only become very gentle, she’s begun to learn to enjoy life.

Despite her scars, both physical and emotional, Noi Nah shows how far just a little tenderness and care can go, no matter what one’s age.