Mae Boon Ma

The Almost White Elephant

Came to our herd:

2003

Rescued from:

Logging and Trekking

Mae Boon Ma's working life began as as a logging elephant and she later worked in various trekking camps. Lek came across her for the first time in 1995. “She was tiny, very bony and could hardly stand. Completely exhausted in in a really bad way” says Lek. A lack of food, complete physical exhaustion and severe abuse over a long period of time had created severe psychological and eye problems.

Mae Boon Ma is a white elephant, making her one of the most special in all of Thailand. These elephants are extremely rare, very sacred and highly revered. In fact, Thailand used to be known as the land of the white elephant, and the old flag of Siam featured a magnificent white elephant on a red background. Today, very few of these beautiful creatures remain.

To be confirmed a true white elephant, an expert must examine the animal and check that certain characteristics are present. The criteria are rather specific, but in short, they require that the elephant has:

Pink skin
White palate
White body hair
White tail hair
White genitalia
White nails
White eyes

In Thailand, a white elephant with all seven characteristics is considered a white elephant. Mae Boon Ma displayed only five of these seven characteristics.

No one knows exactly how old Mae Boon Ma is. Her birth certificate says she is over 100 years, but many of these birth certificates are unreliable. Most likely she was born around 1940.

She arrived at the park in 2003, when the owners agreed to lease her out to Lek. The park has been trying to purchase Mae Boon Ma, but negotiations with the owners have so far proved unsuccessful. Her lease was extended for 10 months in May 2005 with financial support from Hope, a caring woman from Los Angeles.

Today Mae Boon Ma is one of the most popular elephants in the park. She has been nicknamed “the prude” for resisting the feisty advances of young bull Boon Pa. She is a gentle elephant with a huge appetite, who adores the rest of her family group: Jungle Boy, Mae Keow and Lilly.

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