Mintra

On February 27th Elephant Nature Park welcomed a new arrival. Her name is Mintra and she is somewhere between 10 to 14 years old. She has a handicap similar to Medo's with the same sloping back and similar limping walk. At some point in the past, her hips have been damaged in some way, though we are not sure exactly how. We know that when Mintra was approximately 4 years old, she was hit by a car while street begging, and think it is possible that she could have gotten an initial injury when she was a baby, following along behind her mother who probably was an illegal logging elephant in Mae Hong Son, where Mintra originated from.

Mintra's last job, and what she has done for most of her life, was street begging. She was working at the Siam Square super shopping plaza in Bangkok. Lek found out about her from many letters, phone calls and emails from visitors and volunteers on their way to and from Elephant Nature Park, passing through Bangkok who would see her begging in this busy area. All who saw her felt so sad for this young, handicapped elephant forced to spend her days breathing the smog and exhaust fumes and exposed to all of the noise and chaos that a big city has to offer. Sadly, her owner didn't have any other choice, as there was no other way to earn a living with an elephant in her condition.

When Lek contacted the owner to see if he was interested in selling her, he told Lek that he was, but he also had another interested buyer. In the end the owner chose to sell to Lek as he liked the idea of Mintra getting to spend the rest of her life in a sanctuary, where she could roam freely and socialize. And socialize she is doing! She immediately fell right in with the Mae Tong Dee/Tong Tae family group and Malai Tong really fell in love with her and declared herself "big sister auntie." We later found out the reason Mintra and Malai Tong got on so well is that when Malai Tong was street begging in Bangkok, she was in an area close to where Mintra was working. The two girls had met and become friends during this time. Possibly when they weren't working they may have shared the same vacant lot or underpass. What a lovely reunion for them here at Elephant Nature Park.

Malai Tong are spending less time with the rest of the family group, though they get along with them well. Dok Ngern also really enjoys their company and when the three of them get together, there is a lot of trumpeting and bellowing. Tong Daeng really likes Mintra and tries to engage her in wrestling sessions. Sometimes she humors him and pushes back for a bit. Mintra gets a positive reaction from everyone that she encounters socially from Tong Jan and Faa Sai to Mae Lanna and Medo, whom she shares a shelter with at lunchtime. She is irresistibly cute, full of personality and isn't afraid to express herself. It is so hard to imagine her having to spend her days pounding the pavements with no friends to socialize with, but now, she is making up for lost time.

Special thanks to Darrick Thomson, Mintra is a permanent resident of Elephant Nature Park and she never has to worry about having to return to a life of exploitation. For the rest of her days she can enjoy freedom, family, food and fun with her many new (and old!) ele-friends

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