Remembering Mae Kham Geao

October 2nd four years ago, was Mae Kham Geao’s first day at ENP. She arrived in the afternoon and was tired from the stress of the transport. She did not have any fresh wounds but was a bit on the thin side. Her demeanor was slow and lethargic. Mae Kham Geao moved in slow motion and for the first two days she did not even flap her ears. We wondered about this girl, who was not very old but had so little energy. She could barely lift her feet to take a step. On her first morning, she was led out to the river to take a drink and from there she could go where she pleased. ‘This is a new concept’ she must have thought, chain-free for the first time in maybe forever….

In no time a welcome party arrived. First on the scene was Mae Boon, mother of Aura. Mae Boon is an amazing elephant and gets along with most anyone. She is the perfect ice-breaker. Whether these two ladies knew each other from a past working engagement and were happy to see each other, or were just meeting for the first time is not known for sure. For over an hour the pair stood head to head, trunks entwined or alternately trunk draping, locked in a pachyderm embrace. The second elephant to come investigate the new arrival was Hope. Interesting interactions again commenced. At one point the trio stood in a tight triangle, the ends of their trunks all touching.

No strong friendships blossomed from this first encounter. The days passed by and Mae Kham Geao began to come alive. She flapped her ears to cool her body, she started to explore her immediate area. Eyes alert, she took in her new surroundings. Mae Kham Geao spent most of her time on her own. She quickly became a favorite of visitors who loved to feed her. She was mild mannered, gentle and patient. One look into her thickly lashed amber colored eyes could melt your heart. You could not resist hugging her trunk and she allowed you to do so.

Eight months later Mae Tee arrived. Mae Kham Geao wasted no time making her way over to the newest resident and the pair instantly became inseparable. We are certain that they worked together and were friends at some point in the past. From then on, their lives settled into a happy routine. Together- all day every day. Moving slowly they got where they wanted to go in their own time.

Three years passed uneventfully health-wise, but then the stiff wrists and deteriorating ankle joints that both Mae Kham Geao and Mae Tee arrived with started to cause more problems. We always thought Mae Tee would go first, being older and in worse condition. It seemed that Mae Kham Geao was her source of comfort, encouragement and kept her going despite all of her aches and pains. Sadly and much to our surprise, Mae Kham Geao has been put to rest and Mae Tee now stands alone. It came on rather suddenly, this recent down-turn of events. Mae Kham Geao went from functioning well despite her limitations to not being able to bear another moment standing on her worn out limbs.

Though elephants are emotionally complex, they can be stoic when dealing with pain and suffering (how else could they possibly have made it through all of the years being abused by humans?). It is hard to know how much more she was suffering on the inside than she showed on the outside. She was strong spirited and loyal. She knew Mae Tee depended on her. She held on for as long as she could. Mae Kham Geao taught us all about the loyalty of a good friend. She taught us how to take each day minute by minute, how to be patient and kind to all whom you interact with. She reminded us to accept what we cannot change and take it in stride. All this she did just by being there sharing her time with us…. batting her eyelashes, gazing at us calmly, waiting for the fruit that we handed to her clumsily. Thank you Mae Kham Geao. We are all better beings for having known you.