This is the heartwarming moment an elephant runs over to a woman she remembers from a previous trip in Thailand.

Footage shows the female animal, Namfon, happily bounding towards her adoptive mother in the Kathu District of Phuket on June 24.

The Australian doctor, who visits Namfon every year at the Kerchor Elephant Family Phuket camp, seems equally excited to be reunited with her.

Sanctuary manager Saardchaymin said: 'This was such a sweet moment. It proves how sensitive elephants are. They can recognise and sense human feelings towards them.'

Elephants are known for their remarkable memory and ability to recognise familiar faces, even after long periods of time. They are also highly sensitive animals, capable of identifying and responding to human emotions.

Thailand has up to 3,500 elephants in the wild and around 4,000 in captivity. The population has been increasing in recent years, but it is still a fraction of the estimated 300,000 wild elephants that lived in the country at the beginning of the 20th century.

The main threats to wild elephants in Thailand are habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and conflict with humans. Many injured or rescued elephants are moved into sanctuaries, like the faciitlity seen in the video.