This is the heartwarming moment an elephant touches trunks with her daughter and granddaughter after being separated for 12 years.

Pori is a 39-year-old grandmother elephant and was reunited with her 19-year-old daughter Tana as well as her granddaughters, Tamika, 4, and Elani, 1.

A touching photo was captured at a zoo in Germany where three elephants were seen locking trucks with each other. It was a reunion 12 years in the making. You see, the elephants were family, and the grandmother, who was separated from her daughter, got to touch trunks with her and her granddaughter after 12 years.

This is rather special, as female elephants usually tend to remain with their mothers and herd for life in the wild. Male aka bull elephants, on the other hand, leave the herd to find a mate. The reunion is part of a program to slowly recreate this natural process of herds in captivity, Daily Mail reports.

This particular family reunion is part of a program to recreate this natural process in herds that are held in captivity.

Pori is currently in a separate enclosure from her offspring, but in a number of days, the 2 will be spending time together in the outdoor area so they could get to know each other, said the authorities of the zoo.

The zoo has stated that the elephant house will remain closed for a period of time, to give the animals a chance to relax and become accustomed to each other once again. The zoo’s statement also said that visitors will still be able to see the elephants in their outdoor area.

Pori is currently in a separate enclosure from her offspring, but in a number of days, the 2 will be spending time together in the outdoor area so they could get to know each other, said the authorities of the zoo.

‘Pori’s arrival in Halle is an important step in modern elephant husbandry. In the future, all elephant herds in European zoos should be cared for in such natural family structures. Today we have come a great deal closer to this goal. ‘

Here at Kingdoms, we do not believe any wild animal should be held in captivity, except for the welfare of the animal or the species. If they are in captivity the keepers should try their best to maintain the best quality of life for the beautiful creatures.

As part of EEP, a conservation breeding program, the elephant population in zoos is monitored. This is to determine new herd compositions and the resulting animal moves.