Exhausted Elephant Was Finally Rescued From The Place Where She Was Forced To Work 80 Years

Thailand is considered home to approximately 15% of the 52,000 Asian elephants currently living in the wild. Unfortunately, countless of these animals are suffering from physical and psychological injuries caused by people who once illegally stole them from the wild and then kept them enslaved in horrible conditions. An elderly elephant named SomBoon was taken from her wild environment when she was just a little baby. She spent 80 years working in the logging and tourism industries, but thankfully, the elephant was found and rescued by Save Elephant Foundation. In late January, SomBoon was finally rescued from the place where she was forced to work her whole life, and she taken to the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary

Image credits: Elephant Nature Park / Instagram

Image credits: Elephant Nature Park / Facebook

Image credits: Elephant Nature Park / Instagram

Saengduean Lek Chailert, founder of a non–profit organization which is dedicated to providing care and assistance to Thailand’s captive elephant population, shared the good news on social media back in January. “It’s time for all Grandma elephants to rest,” Saengduean wrote. “An elderly elephant named SomBoon will soon know that freedom. It’s time for Grandma to be well cared for and allowed to rest. We’re on a rescue mission to protect SomBoon and transport her to her final true home,” she added. The woman explained that the poor elephant was forced to serve in the logging and tourist industries for many decades and still spends all day every day on her feet, carrying tourists on her back. Upon the exhausted animal's arrival at the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary, she was in a truly terrible condition: skinny, missing teeth, and suffering from dry, scaly skin. Yet despite it all, it seemed that SomBoon knew she was finally safe. “Upon arrival, many new elephants, still plagued by paranoia and lack of trust, take weeks before they will lie down,” the rescue shared. The organization explained that many elephants, especially older ones with weak ankles, cannot endure sleeping with their feet tied to a short chain on a concrete floor. The elephant was stolen from the wild when she was just a baby and spent 80 years working in the logging and tourism industries

Image credits: Elephant Nature Park / Facebook

However, elderly elephant SomBoon defied the norm. After a tiring journey and a lifetime of incredibly heavy hardship, she promptly sought the sand pile that was prepared for her to be able to finally rest and sleep. The entire rescue team could barely hold their tears back seeing the animal who spent her whole life standing, finally getting off her feet and having a well deserved rest. SomBoon was so exhausted that when she finally woke up from a deep sleep, she was unable to get herself standing again. “After an hour of deep slumber, SomBoon attempted to rise but couldn’t, inducing panic,” the sanctuary shared. “Our Mahout team and critical care staff swiftly aided her, helping her regain the ability to stand,” they added. Despite still having a long healing journey ahead, the elephant is already feeling much better. Her rescuers are thrilled, because SomBoon is finally surrounded by love, getting nutritious meals, taking leisurely walks, and having lots of mud baths.

Image credits: Elephant Nature Park / Instagram

Elephant Nature Park, an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center, is located in Northern Thailand, where anyone can visit the place and volunteer to help. The sanctuary’s founder, Saengduean Lek Chailert, got her passion for the elephants a long time ago when she was little. Her grandfather, a traditional healer, was gifted an elephant named Thong Kham, which Saengduean grew to love and care for deeply. The woman started rescuing injured, neglected, and elderly elephants back in the 1990s, and in 2003, she established Elephant Nature Park as a permanent homeland for them. Thailand’s ‘Elephant Whisperer’ who has dedicated her entire life to fighting for animal rights and putting an end to animal abuse, has been recognized internationally, and her efforts have been documented by various media outlets, including National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and CNN. Saengduean has received numerous awards and honors for her conservation work, including being honored as one of six Women Heroes of Global Conservation in 2010, personally awarded the Legion d’Honneur award by President Macron in 2022, one of TIME Magazine’s Heroes of Asia in 2005, the Ford Foundation’s Hero of the Planet in 2001, and many others.

Image credits: Save Elephant Foundation

Asian elephants are endangered species and while so many of them are being abused and kept in horrible conditions, Saengduean Lek Chailert and her rescue team are working hard to save as many as they can. Grandma SomBoon is settling into her new sanctuary home unexpectedly well and seems to be living the wonderful serene life she was always meant to live.