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She spent most her time carrying the logs up and down the mountains
around northern Thailand. Her daily life consisted mainly of pulling
logs. After work she would have a happy hour, where her mahout released
her to the relative freedom to roam in the jungle.
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| Lilly |
With hope at the Haven |
Lek and her team found Lilly during a Jumbo Express trip. When they
saw Lilly, she was alone and tied to a tree. Lilly was dying. Her face
and her body were swollen and wounds that covered her whole body. Lek
talked with the owners to ask their permission to let her and her vet
team to take care of Lilly.
The owners seemed to realize that there was little hope, that Lilly
had little chance to survive, and that they had no choice in this case.
The owner decided to put Lilly's life in Lek's hands. Lek and her team
moved Lilly away and put her in a better environment that was
quiet, peaceful, and beside the river. Each inch that Lilly walked
seemed to take forever. Every step, lifting her legs seemed to be so
heavy for her that Lek and her volunteers started walking beside her,
trying to cheer her up and make her feel more confident about reaching
the river. Everyone was so thankful that Lilly had the will to live and
make herself walk to the river. It gave the volunteers the inspiration
to start working on her recovery. Lek believed herbal cures would be
best for her at that time and used to treat Lilly. Tamarind and
vegetable oil were used to clear her stomach, and subsequently she was
put on a fasting program. She had to drink a lot to clear out the
poisons from her body. It took three months to wake Lilly up from her
nightmare.
The owners were so happy and appreciative to see Lilly getting better
that they prepared to take her back to work again. Having seen Lilly's
will to live, Lek wanted a real life and freedom for Lilly. She never
wanted Lilly to have to go back to be a slave again and so Lek went back
home to get all of her savings and buy Lilly's freedom. Her negotiation
turned out a success, and the owner agreed to sell her. Lek transferred
Lilly to the Elephant Nature Park.
During her first week at the park, Lilly looked very sad. She was not
familiar with the freedom, and maybe she never expected that. She would
stand up with her trunk hung down. Lek tried to please her by giving her
fruits and different varieties of foods, but Lilly was still upset and
tears rolled down her eyes. Finally, Lek sent her car and driver to pick
up Lilly's ex-mahout. Lilly was so happy to see him, even though he
treated her with cruelty before. He stayed with Lilly's new mahout for a
month, until she accepted her new mahout.
Today, Lilly has freedom at elephant haven, and stays with her other
friends, which Lek has rescued and joined together. She still walks,
eats, and moves very slowly. Her eyes sometimes still look half awake
and half asleep, due to the drugs that damaged her brain and body.
The time that she is staying at Elephant Haven will help her to
become a happy Lilly again. Lek believes that love can heal many things
and Lilly will be her priority. Every week, volunteers that love and
care for her visit Lilly. Thanks to Lilly brave stance to get over her
terrible earlier life she has become victorious and will never have to
go back to pull the logs again and her nightmare will disappear into
sweet dreams of freedom.
More: - Lilly passed away in April 2011
Home >Our Elephant Herd > Lilly
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