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. Fully trained adult elephants were bought and immediately put to work, providing a generous income for the owner and their families. There was little tourist trade prior to the logging ban in 1989. Consequently, the exploitation of baby elephants had not begun. In fact, owners of adult females preferred their cows not to have calves as it meant a period of at least three years when the mother could not work. Considered something of a burden, a calf was too small to work and too expensive to keep.
Star is the first calf of Pang Noi. Rigorous logging compromised her labour and Star was born three months premature. The veterinarian who examined Pang Noi when she was first rescued expressed concern for the viability of the fetus. It was impossible to determine how much damage her high distress had caused the unborn calf, but the chance of survival was predicted to be 50%.
Star was born in the middle of the night in our forest. Alerted by Pang Noi’s cries, Anon went to investigate and was unprepared to find a small, round, healthy, baby elephant facing him. Quick to stand, she wandered off to explore her new world and met Anon face on.
On May 24, 2010, there was a heavy rain storm. Star was in the forest and instead of taking shelter under her mother’s belly, she was dancing in the rain, rolling in the mud, and loving her life. The storm turned its attention to Star and sent a flash of lightning down to strike her. The shock was too much for her little round body. She died instantly.
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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