An elephant asylum

[Khun Don]

An elephant asylum

At the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, abused and neglected elephants are healed and free to roam

Published: 18/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Outlook

Mae Keow got her first job as a logging elephant in Phrae province. Whenever she was off duty, she would be left alone with chains around her weary legs.

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Photos by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK

"When I first met Mae Keow many years ago, she had skin abscesses all over her body," recalled Saengduen Chailert. "After we rescued her and decided to unchain her, to our surprise she became extremely anxious. We gave her watermelons and bananas but she refused to eat. Her body was trembling, her eyes wide open. She kept biting her own trunk. Saliva poured out of her mouth. It was as if the only thing she had been familiar with would be taken away from her."

"But after we put the chains back around her legs, she started eating. Apparently she was not confident outside the shackles," Saengduen added.

Mae Keow was among the many traumatised elephants Saengduen rescued and brought to live at the Elephant Nature Park, an elephant sanctuary she founded 15 years ago. Located in Chiang Mai's Mae Taeng Valley, this 350-rai (56-hectare) plot of land is now home to almost 40 elephants that were once abused, overworked or abandoned.

More: http://www.bangkokpost.com/feature/c...lephant-asylum

[taszmaniac]

I will be visiting the Elephant Nature Park near the end of June, I am very much looking forward to it.

You can find information about volunteering at the park or spending a day there on their website - elephantnatureapark.org or find links on their facebook page (sorry can't post the links as I haven't been a member long enough and posted a sufficient number of posts).

[yy]

Really sad to hear about how the elephant had come to be psychologically dependent on the one thing that had kept her captive and deprived her - the chain.

Hope that the elephant asylum will flourish and more elephants be helped

[Jasonkoh82]

:( Me too was really sad to hear this...as i believe animals do have feelings too.

Hope that more elephants can be helped by the kind people around us