Kham Puen

Mae Kham Puan began her new life at Elephant Nature Park on December 8th 2010. Her name means "golden bell." She was born around 1965-1970, originating from the Tak province of Thailand. Funds for her rescue were donated by Bert and Christine Von Roemer of the Serengeti Foundation USA.

Most of her life Mae Kham Puan worked in illegal logging along the Thai-Burma border. At some point in her past Mae Kham Puan's eyes were damaged from a work-related accident or an act of cruelty, which left her 90% blind. Most likely the injuries were from slingshot, but the details are vague. Soon her lack of sight affected her job performance and she was moved to a trekking camp. Her owner thought it would be no problem to work her in trekking but many tourists noticed Mae Kham Puan's milky sightless eyes and how she used her trunk to feel her way along. They did not feel good about riding her and complained. The owner decided to get rid of Mae Kham Puan.

Now that she has settled in, Mae Kham Puan is quite sure on her feet and confident, despite her blindness, though she can be spooked easily by sudden noises or movements nearby. She is loosely social with many elephants in the park from Dani, whom she paired up with for a while to Mae Perm and Mae Jokia, who do not seem to mind her company. At this time she has bonded with Trilly and the two females are fast friends, they spend their days having fun and keeping their mahouts busy.