February 05 Newsletter

Elephant Nature Park welcomes 2 new elephant rescues

By Sangduen (Lek) Chailert - park founder

January 25, 2005 . Elephant Nature Park rescued a female elephant name

Mae-Mai (45 years old.) originally from Burma and worked at different logging camps. In July 2004 with Jumbo Express we went on a trip to the border. We met Mae Mai at a logging camp. Her face was injured and her two back legs damaged from the logs The owner wanted to sell her, but during this trip we had no money to buy so we promised them to come back later and rescue her.

When we came back we called on park friends to help, but 3 days later we found that she was sold to a trekking camp for a higher price . We wondered how can she work because she was so unwell. We searched for her for a long time found her in December. She was so sick and looked like she was giving up on life

Mae Mai comes home and meet the youngster hope

Mae Mai with new friend Hope

The owner also worry because Mae Mai refused to eat and he worried that she would die and he would lose his money. During on that trip a volunteer named Roy Fudge from Adelaide South Australia asked me if he could help and rescue her . I immediately talked to the owner and agreed to buy her freedom . The negotiations were successful and the owner agree to let her free. We were all emotional when we saw tears of joy falling from Mae Mai eyes.

Michelle and new friend
Park volunteer Michelle with a new friend

Because of her sickness we could not transport her back to the park. I managed to send bananas, more food and difference kinds of fruits to her in the big truck to feed her for a week to make her strong enough for her 150 Km journey to our park. She arrived at the 0300am the next morning.

Mae Mai is today at Elephant Nature Park and she has enjoying her new surroundings and freedom. The first day she walked around the park to check with her new home. She now eat a lots and totally act very different from her sullen way she acted when at the trekking camp.

Special thanks to Roy Fudge who gave her a new life and thanks for Bert Van Roemer from Serengeti Foundation who also helped to give her a beautiful new home.

January 30, 2005 New Elephant Rescue

We rescued an elderly female elephant name Thong Bai, (golden leaf ) aged about 90 years old, from a trekking camp in Chiang Rai province.

Mae Mai is an elephant who has done many jobs throughout her life. She has broken our elephant record about her journey. On her antique birth certificate it shows that she has had more than 20 owners. Her birth certificate has been issued (and is nearly a meter long) In 1910 she came from Mae Hong Son and stayed there to work as a log carrier with theBurma border in the Bombay Burma logging company She moved and worked in logging camps for more than 40 years. In 1942 they sold her to people at Chumpol Buri in Surin Province and took her to work in Surin . In 1945 she has sold to the new owner in the south of Thailand at Pang Nga province and went back logging again. In 1947 she was sold to an other owner in the middle of Thailand, Loamkao district Phetchaboon Province (no record of work during she was there). Come April, same year, she have sold to a man in Lampang Province northern Thailand . 1949 they sold her to the Mae Sariang Mae Hong Son , North west of Thailand to work at the logging camp.

1950 they sold her to the new owner at Maelanoi district Mae Hong Son to work to the other logging camp 1952 she has change hands to a new owner at Koka district at Lampang province northern Thailand and logging again. Seven years later she has sold to the Karen tribe man at Khun Yaum Mae Hong Son for more logging work. 1959 she has sold to logging business as the logging company in Mae Sod, Tak province. 1961 she was sold to a new owner at Mae Saraing. Note : From 1961 to 1974 her story in the certificate are not clear and the wording in the certificate is unreadable.

1974 she stayed with the new owner at Mae Lanoi Mae Hong Son (logging) 1976 before moving to the North East of Thailand - Buri Ram province. Note from 1976 to 1989 is no record because the certificate covering this period was lost and they have issue again on 02 February 1989. 1989 she has sold to the Karen family at Mae Jam , Chiang Mai province. 1991 a Swiss lady bought her for a trekking camp in Chiang Rai province north of Chiang Mai.

Mai Mai enjoying her new surroundings with young Hope

Last year she was too old and had injured her back bones. The owner found that she can not work any more they contacted us on 20 January 2005 . I went there to see the elephant and agreed to take her back to rest.

Mai Mai with Moira & Ben

Thanks for Bert Van Roemer from Serengeti Foundation Austin Texas USA, who helped us to give her for the new life. Thanks for Linda Reifschneider from Saint Louis Missouri USA for adopting her and paying for all the rest of her life to keep her free at our park. Thanks for Miss Dasha Haas from CA , USA who helped to pay for her transport from the trekking camp to the park.

Today Thong Bai become our elephant queen with 3 keepers to look after her. All of them work hard to find the food for her. We have to provide soft food because she has no more teeth left Moira Borland flew over from Botswana, Southern Africa to take care. Mr Ben J. Morley who from Queensland Australia became her keeper and Mokri is her Thai keeper. We will give her as much love and make the rest of her life as happy as we can.

New Park Manager

Elephant Nature would like to announce that we have appointed Mr Sophon Chaithong (55 years old) as the park manager. He started on 01 February 2005.

Mr Sophon has a bachelor degree from Ratchabath Chiang Mai University. He has been teacher for 35 years and retiree and come to work at our park . He has experience with elephants and has worked with difference elephant camps as a consultant for more than 3 years during his work as a teacher.

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