A pair of elephants kept as slaves for decades have finally been released into the wild thanks to the efforts of one video blogger.

Boonme and Buabaan, who are believed to be over 50 years old, have spent most of their lives working in the logging industry and ‘elephant-trekking’ trade.

They were bound by chains and forced to work until the point of exhaustion — but have now been given a new life at Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai.

Christian Leblanc, 23, from Canada, helped to raise thousands of dollars to pay for the animals’ release, after hearing of their plight.

View photos Boonme and Buabaan (Caters) More

Complete with a river and mud-bath, the pair now spend most of their time splashing around, playing and snacking on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Leblanc said: “The elephants couldn’t be happier now. They’ve both made a new best friend named BaiCha and as a trio they’re inseparable.

“But before we freed them, they would’ve been giving dozens of people rides on their backs every day.

View photos The animals are now in Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park (Caters) More

“To the point where Boonme actually collapsed and had to be lifted by a crane so she could get back to work.

“That’s when we knew something had to be done.”

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The rescue operation comes as a part of Christian’s upcoming documentary ‘Black Tusk’, which is attempting to educate travellers of the cruelty behind the elephant trekking industry that is currently thriving in Thailand.

Christian added: “Like humans, elephants are very social and so they show immense distress when they are treated as they are in the trekking camps and elephant entertainment parks.

View photos Leblanc raised money for the elephants’ release (Caters) More

“You literally see them swaying back and forth and they will even let our cries of sadness and desperation.

“It’s truly horrific to see but I’m glad I did because it led me here.

“We hope that by showing people the cruelty that elephants face, we can help end the suffering for these elephants and pave the path to responsible elephant tourism.”