Mare Boon Mee
In her early 80’s, Mare Boon Mee (Mother of good fortune in Thai) is the oldest member of the BLES family. In March 2007, a panicked owner contacted Katherine and Anon to urgently request their help with his dying cow, Boon Mee. Katherine and Anon examined her and found that although she was visibly exhausted and quite ill, she was determined to live.
Katherine noted Boon Mee’s dramatically sunken cheeks. It is normal for the faces of elderly elephants to hollow out, but Boon Mee’s condition was extreme. While examining her mouth, Katherine was distressed to see that Boon Mee’s blackened teeth had grown at 90-degree angles into the roof of her mouth. This was likely a result of old logging training practices traced back to Burma. Young elephants, too small to be fitted with a harness, were taught to pick up and drag logs with their mouths. The owner mentioned that Boon Mee hadn’t eaten in a week; the reason was now obvious. Forest fires had devastated her surroundings and destroyed any
soft vegetation she could manage with her dental difficulties. The owner hadn’t thought to source food for his elderly elephant. As a result, Boon Mee was literally starving to death.
Despite the owner’s lack of interest in selling her, Anon persuaded him that Boon Mee should retire to BLES. In her case, funds were quickly forthcoming, and Boon Mee was saved thanks to the help of the Alexander Abraham Foundation.
Boon Mee’s adjustment period was lengthy. She had spent years in absolute isolation. Specifically, Boon Mee had not seen another elephant for a quarter of a century. Therefore, she found it difficult to tolerate being in an elephant family that included bulls and babies. Initially, Boon Mee refused to integrate with the herd. Physically pushing the younger elephants away, she would repeatedly withdraw to the safety of her own stable. Today, Boon Mee is still establishing her position in the herd, but she willingly mixes with the other females, a welcome sign of her steady recovery.
Pang Tong (Mrs. Gold in Thai) is the mother of the Sanctuary's namesake, Boon Lott, and the matriarch of the BLES family. Her life before BLES was filled with abuse and distress. When Katherine and Anon met her owner, he proudly shared his personal story of beating, starving, and working
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Somai is a rare case of an elephant donation and was the first arrival to BLES. One of the few lucky elephants left in Thailand, he was used for sustainable logging and well cared for by his village owners.
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Lom (Umbrella in Thai) is the life and soul of the BLES family. Since her arrival at BLES in July 2006, she has enchanted everyone with her bouncy, bubbly, and boisterous ways. Lom's early life began on the streets of Chiang Mai, used for begging to the tourist trade. he visages of her struggles from
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Plai Tong Jai (Heart of Gold in Thai) is the tallest member of the BLES family. When Anon overheard a man complaining that his elephant was a useless waste of time, Anon asked to see the elephant for himself. The elephant, in reference, was Plai Tong Jai, an incredibly tall, handsome but
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Mare Boon Mee In her early 80's, Mare Boon Mee (Mother of good fortune in Thai) is the oldest member of the BLES family. In March 2007, a panicked owner contacted Katherine and Anon to urgently request their help with his dying cow, Boon Mee. Katherine and Anon examined her and found that although she was
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Pang Noi (Miss Little in Thai) is the smallest of our adult females and our most ambitious rescue to date. When three-out-of-five owners of a pregnant logging elephant visited BLES to propose a sale, Katherine and Anon had no idea what a confusing and complicated rescue they were about to conduct.
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Star Star's birth on September, 18, 2007 was cause for huge celebration. Not only was she the first calf to be born at BLES, she was the first calf to be born in our village of Baan Tuek. A traditional logging community, elephants have played a central role in the lives of the villagers here for centuries.
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Seedor Yai (Mr. Big in Thai) is massive, standing an impressive 2.8 metres and weighing 4 tons. Like most of the elephants in north Thailand, Seedor Yai worked as a logging elephant until his elderly owner retired, retiring his bull with him. When the owner became ill and no longer able to support both his bull and his family,
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Pang Suai In her thirties, Pang Suai (Miss Beautiful) is the newest member to join the BLES family. Standing true to her name, Pang Suai (beautiful) is a physically stunning elephant. She is large and strong, but sadly these atributes have worked against her.
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Tong Yui & Bong Beng Bles was first made aware of the plight of two street elephants back in June 2008 when Katherine received a heartfelt email from Jan Tunks. Jan wrote of how she had befriended Tong Yui, the elder of the two elephants, while traveling around Thailand in November 2007.
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Mee Chok (Blessed) was just twenty months old when BLES successfully rescued him. Previously known as Pheung Yai (Bumble Bee), this baby elephant had known nothing but the inside of the filthy shack he was chained and shackled in.
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Wassana The rescue of Wassana (Fortune) was full of dramatic twist and turns and emotional ups and downs. BLES founders Katherine and Anon discovered Wassana by pure accident when following up on a call about a baby elephant living in unacceptable conditions.
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