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Mae Kham Kaew very quickly became a favorite elephant of volunteers and
day visitors as she has a very calm and gentle demeanor, and because she
ate in an area all by herself and you could stand right next to or in
front of her to feed her. She also has very expressive eyes and lovely
eyelashes. When it comes to other elephants, Mae Kham Kaew is rather
shy and cautious. She led a mostly solitary life for the first 9 months
she was here and then a new elephant arrived named Mae Tee, who was also
older and slow. It only took a day or two for Mae Kham Kaew to decide
that she wanted to be friends with Mae Tee and thankfully, Mae Tee was
happy to become friends with Mae Kham Kaew as well. Now that Mae Kham
Kaew has a best friend to share her days with, she feels even more happy
and content than she did before.
Female elephants are not solitary animals, so if they have a
companion, their quality of life is much better. The two ladies are very
compatible as Mae Tee's personality is very similar to Mae Kham Kaew's.
Mae Tee is approximately 10 years older than Mae Kham Kaew and has a few
more aches and pains, but she seems to be a little bit more socially
outgoing than Mae Kham Kaew. Mae Kham Kaew has been a bit more socially
interactive herself as a result. She seems to feel more confident now
that she has Mae Tee and does not move away from approaching elephants
if her friend does not. Now that Mae Kham Kaew is settled in to her life
at our park, her days pass by uneventfully for the most part. She and
Mae Tee are usually the first eles to be led out in the morning and the
ladies peacefully graze and browse the days away, breaking for their
lunchtime fruit basket and bathing times. Mae Kham Kaew thanks you for
all of your love and support.
Mae Kham Kaew, arrived 01 October 2008. She never has to worry about
returning to a life of work thanks to a couple who came for a day visit
and before the day had ended, made the decision to donate the money so
that Mae Kham Kaew could stay at Elephant Nature Park forever. Chris and
Susan Arger were touched by the many stories about the Park's rescued
and leased elephants that were told to them during their visit. When
they found out that Mae Kham Kaew's owners wanted to sell her and that
we were hoping to be able to buy her, Chris and Susan decided that this
was a wonderful and unforgettable way to commemorate Susan's birthday.
Mae Kham Kaew has really settled in to a life of relaxation and leisure
at Elephant Nature Park. She seemed to come back to life within weeks of
her arrival. Her mahout/owner who came along with her, couldn't believe
the change in her. He was so happy to see her doing well, that he had a
change of heart regarding her and talked the rest of his family into not
selling her to someone who wanted to use her for street begging, and
selling her to Elephant Nature Park instead. This mahout/owner, whose
name was Bila, even took a cut in his earnings so that the other owners
wouldn't lose money on the sale. Bila just wanted Mae Kham Kaew to be
happy, and knew that after coming here, it would be misery to put her
back to work. It is nice to know that there are owners like Bila out
there who consider their elephant's well-being and that there are
wonderful, kind-hearted people like the Argers who are willing to donate
the funds needed to give those elephants a better life. |
