We know, this video is too cute for words, which is why we will leave you to watch it in peace and feel all the warm and fuzzy feelings. But when you’re done, there’s something important you should know about this heartwarming scene. O.K. are you finished?

This video was shot at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s (DSWT) Ithumba Reintegration Unit and the man you see playing with little Mwende, the elephant, is the Head Keeper, Benjamin Kyalo. You see life for all elephants is not as fun as this video makes it out to be.

Every day, 100 elephants are killed by poachers. They are shot, their tusks are removed and then sold on the black market – this industry is known as the illegal ivory trade. This brutal industry has brought elephants to the brink of extinction. Scientist estimate that if we continue at the current rate of slaughter, elephants will be extinct from the wild within the next 20 years.

But it’s not all bad new for elephants. China, the world’s largest importer of illegal ivory, instituted a ban on ivory – the ban means that “34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues, with dozens to be closed by the end of March 2017.” Technically a global ban on the ivory trade was instituted in 1989, but because of loopholes in this law, the trade has been allowed to survive in modern times and China’s most recent ban is a big step in the right direction.

However, elephants are still at risk and while they are being killed for trinkets, the important role they play in their ecosystems is going unnoticed. Scientist believe that the disappearance of wild elephants could result in a complete collapse of the ecosystem as a whole. Elephants are essentially the gardeners of their ecosystem – they dig wells, turn over soil, and clear away dead plant matters so that new flora can flourish. N. Thomas Hakansson, a prominent scientist, states that apart from humans, elephants have a greater impact on the environment than any other species.

Mwende has grown up protected by ten DSWT/Kenya Wildlife Service Anti-Poaching Teams, six DSWT aircraft, a helicopter, and a Mobile Vet Unit. These teams serve and protect all of Tsavo’s resident elephants. Thanks to their hard and unrelenting work, this group of amazing people have helped over 200 elephants grow up safe and sound.

To help make this list possible for many other elephants by donating to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Support the incredible work that they do. You can also make a difference by boycotting the ivory industry and any companies who participate in this foul trade.