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. In her own words, “I had seen elephants in Bangkok some years earlier and had been devastated to see how they lived and worked. Despite her hard life, Tong Yui was full of love, compassion, and humility… she was kind, gentle and strong, and greeted me each day by holding her trunk up to my face and blowing gently…”
Her message went on to say that she was concerned enough about Tong Yui’s life on the streets that she contacted a number of elephant NGO’s regarding the elephant’s rescue. Not hearing back from any of them, Jan emailed BLES as a last hope to give Tong Yui the life she deserved.
At Jan’s urging, Katherine and Anon drove to Bangkok armed with nothing but Tong Yui’s name, the owner’s name, and two photos of the elephants. It took them days of searching and probing everyone they met as there are hundreds of young elephants working as beggars in Bangkok. It seemed like a mission impossible to locate and make contact with the owners but despite the obstacles, Katherine and Anon finally tracked them down. They discovered that the owners now had another younger elephant, Bong Beng, who worked along side Tong Yui.
The following eighteen months were filled with anticipation. BLES was eager to get the elephants off the streets, but the owner was content with his life and was making a small fortune from walking the streets. “Why would I want to leave?” He once said. “I can go where I want to, when I want to and I’m earning enough
money to provide for my family.” Katherine, Anon, and Jan were frustrated with the owner’s way of thinking and had little luck in persuading him otherwise. They never gave up hope, however, that the owner might one day see the error of working his elephants on the streets, and change his mind.
That “one day” came in December 2009 when Katherine received an email from a member of the elephants’ owner’s family, asking her to get in touch. Together with Anon, Katherine travelled to meet with the owners and discuss the future of Tong Yui and Bong Beng. Not knowing exactly where to find them, Katherine once again, searched the streets, determined to find the two elephants. When she did, she was deeply disturbed by the state of the Tong Yui. She was malnourished, had lost weight, and was displaying obvious signs of mental stress. Katherine watched in horror as Tong Yui picked up a discarded beer bottle and proceeded to drink the contents. She was terrified and highly stressed and Katherine knew if something wasn’t done right there and then, Tong Yui’s condition would only worsen and lead to a premature death.
It didn’t take long to reach a compromise with the owner of the elephants and just one month later, Tong Yui and Bong Beng found themselves in the open arms of BLES. The owner and his family have also moved into the Sanctuary and are enjoying watching their elephants discover the life that all Thai elephants should be living.
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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