“Muddy Hugs and Playful Tugs: The Endearing Encounter with a Mischievous Baby Elephant”

This is the adorable moment an elephant moved in for a cuddle with a tourist.

The heartwarming footage was captured at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, and shows a woman sitting down on the muddy ground.

But she isn’t alone for long, as a calf bounds its way forward to get up close and personal with the surprised visitor

Baby Elephant shares an adorable cuddle with tourist

The elephant begins its march towards the tourist sat down on the muddy ground

And to her delight, and the others watching on, the baby elephant leans in for a cuddle

The heartwarming footage was captured at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand

Others watching the tender moment chuckle in delight, and as the elephant sits on the woman’s lap, a man says that she ‘looks like she’s enjoying it.’

The animal is clearly a restless sort, and refuses to sit still. As it moves onto the lower part of the woman’s legs,it is clear it is not the most comfortable of seating positions.

But it then moves back up to her thighs, as she smiles and strokes it playfully.

There were a few hairy moments as the elephant shifted its weight onto the woman’s lower legs

But the animal picked itself up, and was happy to move in for another cuddle

The incident provided those watching on with the perfect, and adorable, photo opportunity

A bystander is then forced to move in to offer assistance when the woman exclaims ‘ow’ as the elephant rolls back onto her shins.

But the animal is in no mood to give up, and rolls forward for another cuddle and pat down. Another tourist watches on then bends down and pats the calf.

The video was shared on YouTube by Andrew Way, who writes: ‘On my last trip to Thailand I visited an elephant sanctuary and this two-month old baby elephant just made my day.

‘He was so loving and playful and hey how often do you get to have an elephant sitting in your lap?’