Mourning Mae Tee

At about 6 p.m. on 17 June a truly Grand Dame took her last breath.

Mae Tee had just passed her five-anniversary of life at ENP. In all those years she had never laid down. We were always in awe of the endurance and energy she had, despite not ever getting a restful night’s sleep. The joints in both her front and back legs were very stiff and weak, a result of the abuse and overwork she had suffered in her past. Because of this, Mae Tee was afraid to lie down, thinking that she would not be able to pull herself up again with her worn out legs.

When Mae Tee arrived, she was a ghost of an elephant, so thin you could count the vertebrae in her tailbone. We were unsure of how long she would last but were determined to make her time at ENP as comfortable and happy as possible.

Fate had brought Mae Tee to ENP …

Five months after arriving to her new life of freedom at ENP, Mae Tee looks entirely different from when she arrived.

Here, she could live out the rest of her life with some dignity — but even more importantly, so that she could re-connect with a dear friend from her past — which she did only days after her arrival.

Mae Tee and Mae Kham Geao were true soul mates.

We have no proof that they had ever worked together, but actions do not lie and once they laid eyes on each other, nothing could keep them apart. Both ladies suffered from the same ailments — stiff front wrist joints and weak ankle joints. They were incredibly slow in all respects. They were most likely used for illegal logging and forced to ingest methamphetamines to work long, hard hours. The girls had a spaced out look about them, seeming chronically exhausted. Mae Tee had deep grooves worn into her forehead — old hook scars — a telltale sign of the force used to keep her working, despite her exhaustion.

Thankfully, Mae Tee had an appetite. Plentiful food and the company of a long lost friend brought her back to life. She gained weight steadily. With each passing day, both Mae Tee and Mae Kham Geao (who had only arrived eight months earlier) became more energetic. They filled each other’s hearts with a sense of purpose. They were never more than a trunk’s reach apart.

Time drifted by lazily for Mae Tee and her best friend. The pair wandered quite far despite their handicaps, enjoying mini adventures. Their days took on a pleasant routine. Mae Tee was incredibly patient with clamoring visitors, allowing them to touch and feed her, basking in her aura of calm.

In late December 2010, Mae Tee developed small ulcers on the inside of each of her back feet because she could not lift her feet properly when she walked. Not long after this, began the time when Mae Tee and Mae Kham Geao became the mascots of the Elephant Clinic. Mae Tee’s feet needed daily care. It was very uncomfortable for Mae Tee to lift her feet to be treated, but still she cooperated with barely any protest. Mae Kham Geao never wandered too far away and if she did, Mae Tee would bellow in displeasure. From this point onward, Mae Tee spent periods of time confined to the elephant clinic during the rainy season so that her feet could remain clean and dry. The fact that she never laid down made the battle to keep her feet healthy a constant one.

She was never lacking for food, water or good company and was lucky to be looked after by one of the ENP’s most expert mahouts, Dam, who was the primary mahout for Mae Kham Geao and Mae Tee.

When she was allowed to roam free, she and Mae Kham Geao did not venture far from the clinic. We thought that Mae Tee was slowing down. It was so lovely to see how her loyal best friend always stayed back with her.

Mae Tee was our mentor for tolerance, patience and acceptance. She politely tolerated the guests feeding her when she would have preferred feeding herself. She patiently allowed many vet students to treat her under the guidance of our veterinary staff …

… And she accepted the passing of her beloved, younger, best friend and primary source of comfort, Mae Kham Geao.

When Mae Kham Geao died, Mae Tee got on with her life as best she could. At first we were certain that she would not last much longer, that she would fall into a state of loneliness and depression — but she kept herself together. Her will to live was strong. Finally we could see that it had not been Mae Tee who was holding Mae Kham Geao back, but exactly the opposite. Mae Kham Geao had been holding Mae Tee back from really getting out and about.

Mae Tee started walking … slowly, but purposefully.

She travelled to areas in the park we never thought she had the energy to reach. “Where is Mae Tee?” we would wonder and would head out after her, finding her in some of the most out of the way places.

She developed a brave, yet tentative relationship with HOPE(!), which shocked us all (thankfully this was short lived). She resumed daily trips to the river, even if she only drank but did not go in. She never really acquired another friend, but she did not appear to be lonely. It was as if Mae Kham Geao’s spirit was very much alive and residing in her heart, keeping her company and urging her ever forward.

If it had been possible, Mae Tee would have loved to have spent more time with the Dok Mai/Faa Mai family group. She joined them whenever she could, trunk draping with Dok Ngern, Tong Jaan and Faa Mai, rumbling with pleasure at the touch of little Dok Mai.

But the old aunties and Mae Bua Tong made her feel uneasy so these precious moments were fleeting. Mae Thai was especially jealous and often threatening. There were days when Mae Tee would even engage in playful pushing matches with Chang Yim, Dok Mai’s big brother!

There is always a balance; a give and take in life and all the wandering caused Mae Tee’s feet to flare up again. Back to the clinic she went — patiently, acceptingly and once again tolerant of being confined to a clean and dry area. Our vet team was constantly researching to find better ways to care for Mae Tee’s existing problems. Their research and persistence paid off and soon Mae Tee’s feet were looking better than ever, but sadly Mae Tee had developed an abscess on her shoulder that needed to be lanced. This kept her at the clinic for even longer while the incision healed. In the meantime, the condition of her feet kept improving.

Finally, Mae Tee was released again and off she went to find the nearest mud wallow to douse herself with the much-needed ele-skin conditioner. Mae Tee was in the mood to get moving once again. She spent lots of time hanging around the platform, scratching on the scratching posts and wandering out towards Jungle Boy’s area, hopeful to catch a moment with Dok Mai and family.

We had considered getting a pair of custom made boots made for Mae Tee for some time, but had not yet found a company willing to make a pair. Thankfully, Di and Steve Franklin from Australia, the couple who gave the funds to rescue Mae Tee, found a company called Aussie Dogs. After seeing the rudimentary plans, they said they were willing to make the boots. Di and Steve were happy to cover the costs. When the boots finally arrived, Mae Tee patiently accepted them being put on and tolerated wearing them. They were not something that needed to be worn every day, only if it was necessary because of the weather or if one of her foot problems flared back up.

Despite the constantly improving condition of her feet, there was not much we could do to improve the condition of her joints. The damage was already done before her arrival. Mae Tee was finally tiring of standing all of the time. She began to have difficulty bearing weight on her back legs. She was eating less. We knew that there would come the morning when we would find her laying down and we would know that if she had finally given in and laid down, that her time had come. So, on the morning of 17 June when we awoke to find her doing just that, it was our turn to accept, with heavy hearts, that Mae Tee was ready to let go. She was between 65-70 years old. After her funeral service we checked inside her mouth to learn what condition her teeth were in. Her upper molars were still in good condition, but she had no lower molars left at all.

But we mustn’t be sad … Mae Tee lived valiantly. She had made it through the roughest of times, overcome much adversity to finally retire at ENP and reclaim her “elephantness” with grace and determination.

We were blessed with her presence for five great years. Though she showed a brave face, she missed her soul mate Mae Kham Geao dearly and finally the time had come, when once again they would be reunited … this time for eternity.

When you see a double rainbow in the sky, think of Mae Tee and Mae Kham Geao. Just yesterday, we had the most beautiful rain shower, sun shining bright, with a brilliant double rainbow curving exactly over the ENP land. Maybe it was Mae Tee and Mae Kham Geao, hugging us with a multicolored embrace, letting us know it was ok.

Bless you Mae Tee, you are a beautiful soul. We were lucky to have known you for as long as we did and will be forever grateful for all that you taught us about patience, acceptance and tolerance.