Pang Tong
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 her under dangerous conditions. He was oblivious to Pang Tong’s first pregnancy until he found the dead calf’s body beside her. The calf may have been stillborn due to Pang Tong’s highly distressed state or her isolation from other elephants. Lacking guidance provided by female elders, she may have panicked and killed the baby in ignorance. Pregnant a second time, the owner was again unaware of Pang Tong’s condition until a serious logging accident induced a premature labour. The tiny male calf and his mother were transported to an elephant hospital where the staff agreed that he would not survive more than a few days. The calf did survive, for just over two years, and was named Boon Lott (survivor in Thai) — the courageous calf that inspired the founding of BLES.
After the untimely death of Boon Lott, Pang Tong was returned to her life as an overworked, under fed, logging elephant. Word eventually reached Katherine that
Pang Tong’s owner hoped to sell her for use as a Bangkok street beggar. Katherine began desperately raising funds and enlisted the help of The Elephants Umbrella Fund and The Elephant Foundation; two organizations dedicated to helping elephants in distress. Thankfully, the funds were quick to arrive and Pang Tong was transported to the safety of BLES.
Upon her arrival, Pang Tong was agitated and aggressive, displaying defiant expressions and body language. In less than a month, under Anon’s care, she became calm, amiable, and surprisingly affectionate.
No one thought Pang Tong would ever learn to trust humans after the cruelty she had suffered. Anon and the mahouts’ patience and understanding have shown Pang Tong that she is resolutely safe at BLES. Now a central part in our BLES family, Pang Tong thrives in her role as the matriarch. She warmly adopts our new rescues into her care and all the elephants, including the bulls, gravitate to her.
Banner photograph: Peggy Dyer
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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