Sappraiwan

Sappraiwan, meaning 'Jewel of the Forest', is a beautiful bull, who joined the BLES family in January 2018, when he was donated by his owner, Mr Boon.

Sappraiwan was lucky to grow up with his mother and biological family, in a facility that homed other elephants. This is a rarity in Thailand, as calves are often prematurely separated from their mothers and sold in to the tourism industry when they are just a couple of years old.

Once Sappraiwan became a teenager and sexually mature, the facility where he was kept had to change the way he was managed, as they were concerned about the risk of inbreeding. This meant minimal free roaming time, which resulted with Sappraiwan becoming increasingly frustrated, aggressive and difficult to handle.

When he joined the BLES family, Sappraiwan embraced the spirit of true sanctuary. It was an absolute joy to watch him grow in confidence and to see him learn social etiquette from the other elephants. His mahouts, Boo Long & Boo Lor, were central to Sappraiwan's recovery and development and all of us here at BLES were endlessly proud of them all.

Two years after Sappraiwan’s arrival, The owner decided to remove him from BLES and relocate him to another facility. BLES Founder, Katherine Connor visits Sappraiwan regularly at his new location.