An Indian man willed INR 50,000,000 (USD $660,000) of his property to a pair of elephants, after one of them risked its life to protect him from armed criminals.

In footage shot on June 12, the soon-to-be-wealthy elephants Moti and Rani can be seen being pampered while taking a shower and being carefully hand-fed.

Akhtar Imam, the man leaving his fortune to elephants Moti and Rani, is the chief manager at a non-government organisation, "Asian Elephant Rehabilitation and Wildlife Animal Trust "(AERWAT), which caters to the needs of wildlife animals in the northern state of Bihar.

The generous man, a resident of Janipur village at Phulwarisharif in Patna, was only 12 when he started looking after these animals and now has come to call them family.

Imam explained how the elephants protected him, stating: “A few years ago, I went to Ara for some work with Moti. Around midnight, when I was fast asleep I heard my elephant’s trumpet. I peeped out of window to see what’s wrong. I saw that Moti broke himself free from the iron chain and chased away criminals carrying pistols.”

According to Akhtar, Moti and Rani are viewed as more children to him than his own biological son, whom he disowned after reportedly discovering him attempting to illegally sell off the animals.