Rescued Elephant Joins Pamper a Pachyderm

Congratulations to Muoy, host of Pamper a Pachyderm! She has rescued her first elephant.

As we mentioned in our last Pamper a Pachyderm update, the elephants that Muoy previously leased had been taken back by their owners. Being successful, the program was booked for weeks in advance so there was not time to wait to contact and negotiate with potential owners willing to participate. In the meantime, our ENP elephants have been happy to participate in this daily pampering activity. With no monthly rental payments, Lek urged Muoy to save her money. Once Muoy had a decent amount saved, she started to search for an elephant in need.

After much consideration, Muoy found Dao Ruang. She was working on the beaches of Phuket and was very much in need of rescue.

Dao Ruang is around 60 years old. Her joints are in good condition and she has sight in both of her eyes — but — she is a walking skeleton, similar to how Mae Tee looked when she was rescued. Her skin is also very dry and cracked from the sand and the salt water. Our ENP vet team went to check her over with a group of volunteer vet and pre-vet students. Dao Ruang was given IV fluids to perk her up and a daily skin care regime was prescribed.

The newly rescued elephant has a good appetite and is enjoying wandering around near the river’s edge where the grass is long and tender. Muoy is doing her best to help Dao Ruang gain weight by feeding her pumpkin sticky rice balls, banana balls and lots of ripe bananas. She enjoys eating grass but has not yet adapted to eating the cornstalks, which may not have been part of her diet in her old life.

Over the past two days, Dao Ruang has walked with the PAP guests. The first day her walk was cut short by a scare from an approaching vehicle. She turned tail and ran, all the way back to her comfort zone on Muoy’s land.

Hopefully, Dao Ruang will gain weight and vitality quickly. We are proud of Muoy for her commitment to providing a better life for this worn out old girl. Dao Ruang means Marigold and with love, patience and nurturing, she should blossom into a real beauty.