Malai Tong Makes Shy Kham Sai Smile!
Kham Sai enjoys random moments of companionship.
The elusive Mae Kham Sai … many a visitor pass through Elephant Nature Park never seeing or hearing about her. Kham Sai is one of the little known and seldom seen herd members. She doesn’t feel comfortable at the platform or in any of the other areas where many of the elephants tend to congregate. She has been with us for nine years, but has never really bonded with any of the other elephants. In addition, she is shy and unpredictable with people.
Before arriving to ENP, Kham Sai had numerous bad experiences with both people and elephants, causing her to lose her trust in both species. Kham Sai is content to stay on the sidelines and not interact. We respect how she feels and do not want to force her to join in activities that may cause her stress.
There is ONE special adult elephant in the park whom Kham Sai feels comfortable with. It may come as no surprise that this elephant is none other than marvelous Malai Tong. Unfortunately, Malai Tong has already dedicated herself to Jarunee, who is blind and also a bit nervous around other elephants, so the chances of the duo becoming a trio are quite slim.
But, Malai Tong being the intuitive gal that she is, recognises those in need of some company. As of late, there have been a few occasions where Malai Tong has left Jarunee to spend some time with shy Kham Sai. To bear witness to these precious moments is nothing short of priceless as Kham Sai comes alive with pleasure. You can actually see the smile on her face as she touches and caresses Malai Tong who responds in the same fashion. If they happen to be near a mud hole they will share a mud bath and Kham Sai fully relaxed, happily slinging mud to her heart’s content!
Because we are in the process of rebuilding elephant shelters, many elephants have been moved temporarily to different sleeping locations. This change has worked out in Kham Sai’s favor as Malai Tong and Jarunee have been moved up to the same area where Kham Sai stays.
Each morning when they are released they spend some time in a field nearby. For the moment it seems that Malai Tong has alotted some time each morning for Mae Kham Sai, while Jarunee spends some time alone. Mae Kham Sai is greatly appreciative for the much needed companionship — just knowing that there is someone there whom she feels safe with is very comforting to her. You can almost hear Kham Sai thinking “Jarunee is getting old….can you be my best friend next?? I can be patient, I am used to waiting … “
In the meantime, we hope that these moments with Malai Tong give Kham Sai some confidence in other possible social interactions. New arrival Dao Tong is another elephant who spends most of her time in the same area. We have hopes that something may develop between her and Kham Sai, but these things take time and can not be rushed by us humans. We can encourage gently and let the rest come naturally. For now, Kham Sai enjoys those moments of true happiness when standing side by side with Malai Tong.
