Nineteen Elephants no Longer in Limbo

Over three years ago, the Thai government confiscated 21 elephants from a camp in Kanchanaburi. It was believed that the elephants did not have proper documentation. These elephants were used for trekking, elephant shows and were also rented to other facilities.

From this……. Life before confiscation. No hope, nothing to look forward to.

Finally, after a very long court battle and lots of legal expenses, the owners were able to prove that the elephants were indeed legally owned and captive bred.

To THIS……. The majestic old Mae Dok in the foreground.

They won the right to keep their elephants.            … but …

Since the confiscation, their business went down. They had lost their good name, it was thought that they used their elephants for illegal logging. Tour companies did not want to sell tours to this camp. To cover court costs, they had to sell a lot of their assets.

This pair were separated during confiscation but are now reunited BFF’s.

After this long ordeal, they can finally recover their elephants, but now they do not have to money to care for them or hire mahouts. With no other choice, they decided to sell these elephants to anyone who is interested. Before Save Elephant Foundation could intervene, two babies had already been sold.

Mae Malee has become the adopted mother of young Manao. This pair are inseparable.

Our founder Lek Chailert and elephant advocate Khun Nuna Silpa Archa have been paying close attention to this case for a long time. Now that the court case is over, the elephants can no longer stay at the government facility. Lek and Khun Nuna could not resist the opportunity to buy these elephants some time. If there was any chance that we could save the remaining baby elephants from being separated from their mothers and sold to perform in circuses or elephant shows, we had to try. Also, some of the other elephants are older, partly blind or have mental problems.

… But really, if the opportunity is there, ALL elephants regardless of age or condition, deserve the best life possible, free from abuse and exploitation.

So, it was decided – why not see what we could do for the whole lot??

Sai Ngern and her 4 yr old daughter Kham La have found their forever home thanks to Khun Nuna.

Two yr old Hansa and Mae Pon enjoy a mud bath.

The remaining nineteen elephants are now under the care of SEF. Two mothers with their young daughters have won their freedom thanks to Khun Nuna Silpa Archa and now fully belong to ENP. They will never be separated. The youngest, 2 yr old Hansa has even escaped the brutal breaking ceremony. Three adult females have went to the Pamper a Pachyderm Program. The rest will stay on ENP land, some will go across the river on ENP land until a more suitable location is available.

Lek patiently teaches the new mahouts how to interact with the eles in a way they have never experienced.

Our goal is to raise the funds to be able to buy all of these elephants. We have one year in which to do so. After that, the owners will sell to anyone who wants to buy them, for any purpose.

New arrival Nam Fon will capture your heart with her beautiful eyes.

**Update**

Gracious thanks to everyone who donated towards the fundraising activity to save these beautiful creatures, they are safe now and the fundraiser is closed.