Elephant Aid International

Category: Elephant welfare

  • Great suffering of the heart for elephant and human alike; separating bonded individuals is paramount to abuse.

    Great suffering of the heart for elephant and human alike; separating bonded individuals is paramount to abuse.

    Tarra and I have shared our lives for 36 years, resulting in a deep personal relationship. What began as a novice caretaker and displaced orphaned elephant soon evolved into much more. Our shared experiences have forged a deep bond, much like mother and child.

    The Board’s decision to keep Tarra and me apart is counterproductive for Tarra’s emotional wellbeing. Their actions defile the spirit of the Sanctuary. If aware of the depth of emotion elephants possess, they would not attempt to sever any significant relationship. As stewards of the Sanctuary, their abuse would appear to border on criminal.

    Yesterday, inside the Lewis County courthouse, my attorney argued for my right to see Tarra in order to monitor her wellbeing. The Board’s attorney argued against, stating that my request was only intended to satisfy my own emotional need. The Board’s attorney spoke of the Sanctuary’s ability to monitor Tarra’s physical health, but not her overall health. Currently the Sanctuary has no expert on staff to monitor Tarra’s overall health, the wellbeing of her mind, spirit and body. The lack of such expertise puts all Sanctuary elephants at risk and negatively affects their continued rehabilitation.

    There was little the Judge could do to grant my request under the confines of the law, which views animals as property. If Tarra had been a Kubota Tractor I would have be granted permission to “inspect” her. But as a thinking, feeling, non-human animal, her needs, as far as the law is concerned, are irrelevant.

    Tarra and I have once again found ourselves in uncharted territory, this time with no law designed to protect our relationship. It is not the first time we have found ourselves governed by a system that is not designed to address or protect Tarra’s wellbeing.

    Tarra has no resemblance to a piece of property. It is insulting for the Board to suggest so. Her relationship needs are real. As stewards, the Board bears the responsibility to allow Tarra and her precious sisters to develop the relationships they desire — a principle the Sanctuary was founded on.

    Although today the court was unable to provide protection for Tarra, I am confident that my continued effort will be successful. I founded the Sanctuary 17 years ago for the express purpose of protecting Tarra from a cruel and unjust world. I will not allow anyone to harm her no matter how long this effort takes. I will not allow this judgment to deter me from my goal to reunite us. The promise I made to Tarra 36 years ago still holds true; I will never abandon her.

  • Colic in Captive Elephants

    While in Asia this past year I witnessed a serious health problem, rampant in captive elephants: colic. The individuals most affected are in middle to old age, in questionable health, poor drinkers, have tooth problems and a history of colic episodes. Colic usually affects an elephant when there is a sudden change in fodder. The fatal cases always involve lack of water intake or dehydration.

    In Asia, like the US, captive elephants by and large receive their diets from keepers, as opposed to selecting and collecting their own vegetation from a variety of live sources. Even in the best of captive situations, hand cut grass, corn stock, banana plants and pawn frowns are fed, which means a change in food supply. In Asia, hay is seldom stockpiled so throughout the year the elephant is given different plants and trees collected from different sources.

    Elephants not given the benefit of a gradual transition can suffer greatly from the switch between different fodder. Usually the transition goes smoothly, especially when the elephant has access to live vegetation. But in some cases, individuals experience difficulty on a regular basis. Observant keepers anticipate an elephant’s weakness for colic by adding probiotics to support healthy digestion and making a gradual change in diet. But even under the most attentive care, some elephants continue to experience painful bouts of colic.

    My experience in Asia has taught me that dehydration plays a huge role in the onset of colic. A well-hydrated body has a greater chance of avoiding colic than a dehydrated one. An elephant’s inability to effectively digest what she consumes creates pain and distress. The lack of sufficient water intake slows the transit time of the consumed matter. When the digestive progress comes to a screeching halt, with little eaten and nothing eliminated, the elephant is in trouble. Acting immediately can mean the difference between life and death for the elephant. At the first sign of colic, when the elephant postures and then later refuses to eat or drink, a problem already exists.

    One type of colic is a severe stomach ache caused by trapped gasses, as a result of poor digestion. In many cases, physical activity and a large volume of water help the elephant to pass the gas and poorly digested mater. But in cases when a lack of water consumption played a part in the colic, the situation can be dire.

    Over a three-month period I observed several elephants suffer from colic. In most cases dehydration played a role. Poor digestion of newly introduced fodder was complicated by a lack of water intake, resulting in the development of a blockage of fodder in the intestinal track. The onset of symptoms — cramps and pain — leads to further dehydration as the elephant is unwilling to drink and in most cases will eat only a token amount of food. Intuition tells the elephant not to eat more fodder, which would only add to the blockage. The blockage, which forms a hard, dry mass in her intestinal track, becomes too large and dry to be eliminated. The longer the blockage remains lodged in the intestinal tract, the dryer it becomes as the moisture is drawn through the wall of the intestinal track.

    In the cases I observed when the elephant eliminated the blockage and survived, she had been administered gallons of oil that literally lubricated the blockage so it could be passed. Sadly, in one case the blockage was too large and the oil administered too late to help the suffering elephant, who finally succumbed to it. Upon necropsy, a 50-pound mass of dried fodder was removed from her intestinal tract.

    The pain and suffering of captive elephants is unfortunately one of the ways we learn how to help other elephants in our care. Every effort must be made, at the onset of colic symptoms, in order to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

  • India’s continued efforts to protect captive elephants

    India continues to make elephant welfare a priority. Following the banning  of elephants from zoos and circuses, the Travacore Devasworm Board has severely restricted the practices of using elephants in temples and ceremonies. I am encouraged by this most recent action taken to protect India’s captive elephants.

     

  • a need for change, right here at home

    I recently returned from a lengthy trip to Asia, where I taught traditional mahouts (trainers) a gentler, more humane way of training and working with captive elephants.

    Viewing the undercover video exposing the abuse of Tai, the elephant star of “Water for Elephants,” was unnerving. The techniques circus trainers in America use are identical to the traditional, antiquated and abusive methods of breaking and training elephants used by mahouts in Asia that have been handed down for centuries.

    As in Asia, American circuses embody tradition, animal abuse for public entertainment. Being involved in the circus for nearly fifteen years gave me ample exposure to this abuse. Even though we have made huge advances in our knowledge about elephant intelligence and suffering, this tradition has, sadly, thus far failed to evolve.

    There is an alternative to these harsh training methods, if indeed elephants must be trained. I am pioneering the field of positive reinforcement training in the traditional free contact environment in Asia. Although I do not condone the commercial use of elephants, I am realistic enough to know that my personal concerns will not put a stop to the shows and rides that exploit elephants there. Only through education targeted at elephant trainers, mahouts, and the insatiable public can the abuse be curtailed and eventually stopped.

    It is uncanny that Tai’s abuse was exposed as result of her portrayal of an abused elephant in “Water for Elephants.” By enforcing existing regulations and strengthening laws to protect the innocent, the antiquated training practices of the circus in America can be eradicated.

    I am of the firm belief that if the only way an elephant can be on public display is to be dominated with harsh control methods then we, as a society, are required to forfeit the opportunity to have elephants in captivity.

  • a powerful lesson

    I am back in Sauraha, feeling like I have come full circle. For the past week I have trimmed feet at the government center. The majority of elephants who have received pedicures are adult males used for night patrol in the forest to protect wildlife from poachers. Their lives are far removed from their birthright but at least they spend a portion of their time walking on the soft forest floor, taking in the sights and sounds of the natural world. They are a shadow of their true selves; where those selves have gone, I don’t know.

    Today I began work at the elephant breeding center, another government project in Chitwan. I was disappointed to leave behind the mahouts I had spent the previous week training, but felt confident that these mahouts would learn as quickly.

    Most of the elephants at the breeding center are young, as you would expect: there are fewer adult males and lots of females and young calves. The first thing I noticed is that the mahouts are not as gentle or patient as the mahouts at the government center. It registered as I realized I was hearing the thump thump thump of a stick hitting a young male on the head.

    I was reminded of the wise words of Karl, a fellow elephant caregiver at the Elephant Nature Park. I am paraphrasing, but his words went something like: “Even when we think we are helping elephants, many times it is more about us than about them.”

    Karl’s words came to me loud and clear as I was trimming the feet of a young elephant. I was so intent on providing a service that I ignored the fact that he was suffering because of me. He was quite frightened to lie down for the pedicure, and the mahouts were insensitive to his fear.

    When I finally allowed myself to realize what was happening, I froze in my tracks. What good could my help possibly be if this little elephant was being hurt to enable me to do my work?

    I took a step back to reevaluate the situation. Even though I was not participating in the abuse, I allowed it to happen, and in that way I was a party to it. Karl’s words helped me to see my error; I want to make sure that no elephant is harmed in my presence or as part of my giving assistance.

    I owe Karl a great deal for his wisdom and plan to be more conscious from this moment forward. Just because the mahouts have no concept of na pit neu (don’t hit) is no reason for me to assume they cannot learn.

    My next pedicure session is in a couple of hours. I plan to bring a bag of treats for the young male, learn his name and have his mahout lie him down without hitting him. I will then instruct the mahout to give the elephant the treats as I apologize to him for my insensitivity. I will not trim his feet; only give him the opportunity, perhaps for the first time in his captive life, to experience what it feels like to be respected.

  • A Gem in Sri Lanka

    I realize that this entry is out of sequence but it deserves singular attention. While in Sri Lanka I was fortunate to meet up with a veterinarian named Deepani Jayantha. She develops and manages elephant-related projects for the Born Free Foundation in Sri Lanka. It was definitely my good fortune that Deepani was available to accompany me to several locations in Sri Lanka, including her Rathambalagama village project in Habegamuwa. This well-kept secret is a gem of a project, run expertly by Deepani, who throws her entire self into her projects.

    Human-elephant conflict is growing in Sri Lanka and the challenges increase each day. In an effort to create solutions to the conflict, Deepani designed a project around a local village bordering the Udawalawe National Park, where wild elephants live and the Elephant Transit Home is located. Her goal was multi-layered: to educate villagers about elephant behavior, identify and plant crops elephants don’t like, improve human welfare at the local elementary level school and employ local people in positions that benefit the community, such as at the school library.

    Deepani was instrumental in developing an innovative revenue-generating crop project for the village school, one acre of trellis growing passion fruit. The children plant and manage the crop, harvest the fruit and sell it, with all revenues going to their school fund. I was quite surprised to learn that the elephants don’t like passion fruit, because their wild counterparts at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee find it quite delicious.

    Thanks to Deepani’s fierce commitment to conservation, her projects are totally green. Not being one to compromise, she defends an elephant’s need to live free in the forest. When humans present a problem for elephant welfare, Deepani looks for ways to alter human behavior instead of placing all need for change on the elephants.

    With our shared passion for elephant welfare you can imagine the lively discussions we had. Of the greatest concern is human encroachment on the country’s national parks, the increased commercial use of elephants in festivals and religious events, general ignorance and greed that result in the poor welfare experienced by captive elephants and the pressure being put on the government to release captive elephants to the West.

    With such a large number of orphaned calves living at Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage, zoos around the world are putting political pressure on Sri Lanka to release the elephants. What a serious disaster this would be, not only for the individual elephants who would be stripped of any future possibility of returning to the wild, but also for the dangerous precedent it would set. These baby elephants, both in Pinnewala and the Elephant Transit Home, need to be rehabilitated and released back to the wild in order to replenish the depleted population. Sending elephants off the Island will only push the population closer toward extinction. To ensure the viability and survival of the species, living in the wild must be seen as the only option.

    Deepani walks the walk, living a frugal lifestyle by choice. She takes no resource for granted and lives unobtrusively with the garden lizards that grace her atrium, leaf-eating moneys that occupied the area before the neighborhood was built, civic cats that quietly scamper across her second story balcony and mongoose that disappear into the vegetation outside her gate. The local produce seller even knows to save browning bananas for Deepani to feed to the birds that find shelter in her garden. It was an honor to spend time discussing the trials facing wild elephants and the deplorable treatment of the captive ones. We may not have come up with all the solutions but spending time with a kindred spirit is always good for a battery recharge.

    Be sure to follow this dynamo. I have no doubt that she will be instrumental in bringing about great changes for the elephants and forest and village people in her beloved Sri Lanka.

  • Lakshmipriya and Bishnu

    I have spent the past several days observing Lakshmipriya and Bishnupriya, two young temple elephants living at an ashram in Mayapur, India. Thanks to the dedication of Hrimati Dasi, a lifetime devotee of the temple, these two elephants are living a relatively good life. Few facilities worldwide meet the standard held here.

    The area is fenced, mahouts are mature and experienced, a variety of quality foods are grown on-grounds and bought from local farmers, there is access to good vets and, most important, a welfare committee exists to deal with problems and ensure the well-being of the elephants.

    Being the only elephants in the area makes them somewhat local celebrities. Word spreads quickly when they are on their daily walk. “Hati, Hati” echoes through the village as children come from all directions hoping to get a glimpse of these revered animals.

    The younger elephant Bishnupriya is around four years old and quite spunky. I bet the fresh cut oat hay she is given each day contributes to her feistiness. Lakshmipriya, her older “sister,” has a calming effect on her and never strays far from her side. Together they walk without urgency down the roads and dirt paths that stretch out into the countryside, sampling a variety of trees, shrubs and grass.

    Today Bishnu’s mahout teased her when she failed to sample the fruit of a tree he had led her to. “What kind of elephant are you?” he asked. “I brought you to this tree and you don’t want the fruit?” Bishnu expresses herself enthusiastically with a short trumpet blast whenever any opportunity arises. Both she and Lakshmipriya are quick-witted and very curious.

    The mahouts for the most part are patient but they expect full compliance. They exert their dominance over the elephants using a small bamboo stick instead of an elephant hook, while Hrimati continues to work with them to soften their ways. When not out on a walk or in their pool, the elephants are secured on a long chain in their forest.

    If I could make only one change for Lakshmipriya and Bishnu, it would be to add an electric fence inside the security fence (which is not elephant proof) so the girls can be off chains during the day. With that improvement, I would say this is one of the better elephant facilities that I have seen.

  • an experiment in providing freedom

    Today Suparna Ganguly of Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), a member of EAI’s Advisory Council, and I started on a fabulous adventure to the Dubare National Park. An adventurous young woman lives there, who is conducting an experiment to reintroduce captive elephants back to forest life.

    Nearly nine years ago, Prajna Chowta and filmmaker husband Philippe Gautier, founders of the Aane Mane Foundation, received government clearance to conduct their research project in Dubare National Park.

    Prajna explained that only after she was able to secure a piece of land inside the communal forest did she purchase two female elephants, for the purpose of documenting that rehabilitation and reintroduction is possible.

    She and Philippe built a very modest and functional research site on the edge of the national forest. This site has potential for research beyond what Prajna and Phillip are conducting, with room for one or two dedicated individuals whose work would also benefit elephants and the habitat.

    Local tribals are employed as mahouts to assist with the care and monitoring of the elephants. Prajna and her family, which includes her four-year-old daughter, have purposefully chosen to live close to the land and in a manner that resembles that of the local people. By accepting the local way of living, they are able to form close relationships that will benefit their work and the welfare of the elephants.

    Since the project started, one of the cows was bred by a wild bull and delivered a bull calf. All three spend their days and nights in the forest. Much of that time they are found in the company of wild elephants. Prajna is taking the reintroduction slowly, being completely cognizant of the human/elephant conflict in the area, which could have an impact on the welfare of the project elephants. The immediate plan is to purchase radio collars for the elephants in order to track them unobtrusively.

    I am grateful for the time Prajna and Philippe spent explaining their program and discussing the challenges, pitfalls and successes. Their work will continue to provide vital information about rehabilitation and reintroduction of captive elephants into a wild environment.

  • Sri Lanka condensed

    Feb 19

    I am on a plane leaving Sri Lanka with my head spinning and heart smiling. This gem of a country has its challenges when it comes to both wild and captive elephant management but the people I met during my short stay give me hope. Friendly and dynamic, the people I met are dedicated and hungry to succeed in their effort to create safe and healthy environments for elephants.

    These past nine days have been well spent. Not a moment was wasted as guardians appeared at every turn to direct and assist me. Looking back, I realize how truly blessed I am. Many thanks to all of the kind and dedicated people who made my visit productive and memorable, especially on such short notice!

    This visit was to be a simple fact-finding mission to experience first-hand the elephant situation in Sri Lanka. Prior to my visit I heard so much about the dwindling wild populations, crowded orphaned calf facilities and elephant/human conflict. Honestly, I knew little about Sri Lanka’s efforts to rehabilitate and release previously orphaned calves and to fence in a multi-thousand acre national park area for problem (crop raiding) bulls. Sri Lanka has many seriously progressive people working on elephant welfare.

    Elephant culture in Sri Lanka is ancient; elephants are a part of everyday life for many, from community festivals when elephants are dressed in lavish costumes and paraded through the streets on chains, to the simple farmer who is in direct conflict with crop raiding “wild ones.” Like most other Asian countries, elephants are big business. They are used in festivals, at temples, in processions and in many other public venues. They are money makers. Unfortunately, traditions that involve financial gain can lead to corruption.

    On the first day of my visit I went to the Colombo Zoo. It is a beautiful botanical garden, very well laid out, with lush vegetation and mature trees. With such obvious attention paid to the design of the zoo, I was surprised to find the elephants standing side-by-side under a shade structure, chained on two legs. It was a difficult sight to see in such contrast to the surrounding beauty.

    Next I went to see the elephants at the Pinnewala orphanage. I was saddened to find so many elephants in a small barren area. Large males were kept beyond the public area, chained on two legs on concrete. All the others were in an open area, which offered no shade from the blazing sun, while tourists were invited to have their picture taken with them.

    The following morning I visited the Millennium Foundation, just down the road from Pinnewala. It is a privately owned elephant facility that is currently home to several elephants. Most are not permanent residents and, when not on grounds, appear in pageants and at temples. There is a beautiful stream that runs through the property where the elephants are bathed daily. Tourists and volunteers help scrub the elephants and are allowed to ride them without a saddle. The grounds are gorgeous and elephants are kept in the shade, which was a nice change from the Pinnewala, but they still spend their lives in chains.

    It was after meeting with the government vets, Dee from Born Free Foundation and National Park staff that I saw another side of elephant management. The government has two projects that stand out: the Elephant Transit Home and an elaborate bull fence area in one of the National Parks. These established projects, with their successes and challenges, create a model for wild elephant management.

    The Elephant Transit Home is a brilliant project. Open to the public in the most minimal way, the ETH provides a home to orphaned calves until several individuals form a bonded group, at which time they are released and monitored in the national park. The extent of keeper interaction is restricted to when the calves are bottle-fed every three hours. Their days are spent in the forest and they are tied by one back leg with a rope overnight. It would be fabulous if the calves could be allowed to be untethered overnight but limited space requires that they be secured. It was heartbreaking to see so many orphans, but they appeared healthy and content with their circumstances.

    Later we drove into the park and were fortunate to observe one of the released herds of orphans wallowing in a mud hole. This group is of particular interest because one of the females recently gave birth and is raising a healthy baby girl. This is definitely a model project with a happy ending.

    I’d heard much about the Bull Pen, a 5500-acre area within a national park, enclosed with electric fence for “problem bulls.” We drove deep into the park to look at the fence. When I saw it I had to laugh, remembering when we were trying to build a Flora-proof fence.

    Working systematically a few steps behind us, Flora would figure out how to dismantle anything we erected. It seems the Park’s bulls are taking the same approach. It is frustrating right now, but in the end the bulls will be instrumental in designing their own pen, one that can be used as a model in other national parks.

    I was most impressed by many of the wildlife officers, vets, NGO representatives and others I met who appear united in the goal to keep wild elephants wild. I feel quite fortunate to be invited to collaborate with these dedicated men and women. My hope is that their progressive attitudes and current projects will bring Sri Lanka much deserved recognition and the confidence to effectively address the serious welfare needs of their captive elephants.

  • Good News

    Som Boon is fine. Shortly before midnight I set out toward the vet hospital, following the voices that were encouraging Som Boon to walk. It was pitch dark so I felt my way along the dusty road, following the vibrations radiating from an occasional trunk thump mixed with the low rumbling coming from Som Boon.

    When I caught up to her I found that her vet, vet tech and mahout were all engaged in encouraging her to keep walking. They were very patient and kind, which I was so pleased to see.

    Dr. Samat had given Som Boon a pint of mineral oil via an extra large syringe, an oral remedy to encourage her bowels to imitate normal contracting movement and stimulate her to defecate, and they were all keeping her on her feet and moving.

    About the time I arrived, Som Boon appeared to be searching for vegetation along the roadside. That interest led to her eating a couple dozen ripe bananas and passing gas. As you might expect, we complimented her on both functions, laughing at the silliness of telling her what a good girl she was for passing gas. But we knew this to be a good sign, an indication that her gut might be returning to a healthy state.

    Som Boon started feeling much better around midnight. After finishing her bananas and being offered water she was tethered for the night under the watchful eye of Dr. Samat, the vet tech and her mahout.

    In the morning I learned that Som Boon had defecated during the night. As suspected, she had been suffering from an intestinal blockage, a repeat condition for her. Many elephants in Thailand suffer from this condition, some even dying as result. There are many things that contribute to this condition, including sudden change in food type — banana plant, sugar cane and corn stock — reduced water intake and poorly worn or missing teeth that may result in the fodder not being chewed adequately.

    The good news is that Som Boon no longer has an intestinal blockage. From the moment her condition was reported to the vet, her team remained attentive and effective. Very likely their quick action saved her life.

  • the adventure continues

    the adventure continues

    Wow what a day, I mean what a week! It was harder than expected to leave Mee Chok, Lom and all the magnificent elephants at BLES. I hopped on a plane from Sukhothai to Bangkok after sharing some final moments before takeoff with Kat, Hope and two very special BLES supporters.

    Upon landing, I found myself on an hour-long drive across town to the Southern bus station, followed by a three-hour bus ride to Kanchanaburi. Whirlwind is a good description.

    I keep forgetting to factor in things like: it can take two hours to drive 20 miles in the city traffic. Always interesting, there is never  a dull moment with tourist buses blasting music from the front of the cab…outside not inside, motorbikes snaking their way through the tangled vehicles and cars, cabs and trucks filling in every available gap. And bus stations can be a well-lit street corner or a three-story complex the size of a football stadium. Oh, what a thrill…and I made all of my connections with time to spare.

    Kanchanaburi was buzzing when I arrived, locals eating in the brightly illuminated food stands lining the sidewalks. I was taken a bit off guard when the bus stopped, everyone exited and I saw my duffle bag sitting in the street next to the bus. Upon exiting the bus, a kindly sokow driver approached and asked where I needed to go.

    Here’s the other thing that really amazes me: these taxi, tuk-tuk and sokow drivers all seem to know every guesthouse, hotel and restaurant in their city. My poor pronunciation does not prevent them from finally figuring out what I am saying, no matter how much I butcher the word. Patient and kind is how I would describe the Thai people.

    My latest adventure was not over upon exiting the bus. I got to my guesthouse, the easy to pronounce Bamboo House, to find out that my reservation had not been entered it into their reservation book. It seemed that this is not a rare occurrence. The owner gently drilled me on the exact time and day I had called to make my reservation and I soon realized she was trying to find out which staff member keeps forgetting to write down reservations. It was nearly midnight and I did not have a room but, really, there was no reason to get upset. If there is one thing that Thailand has, it is an abundance of guesthouses. I resorted to what has served me well in Asia: I asked for help.

    The proprietor, who had been awakened by the night watchman, was standing in her nightgown and robe behind the counter, obviously mortified by the mistake. She kept apologizing as she hurriedly made a call to another guesthouse, which I found equally as charming. Within minutes, a motorbike with sidecar and recently-awakened-from-sleep driver arrived. I was ushered, bulging duffle bag and all, onto the narrow side-car platform that serves as a seat for passengers. With much copchuncaws (“thank you very much”) and respectful bowing, I was off to the Morning House, my home for the night.

    In the morning, I have an appointment with the founder of Elephants World, a new facility about 30 minutes outside of Kanchanaburi. I have heard little about the place and am anxious to see it firsthand.

    The young Thai founder of Elephants World is a veterinarian. His project is in partnership with a local man who supports animal welfare and wants his land to be put to good use for elephants. Animal welfare is not an attitude that you might think of when referring to the Thais, but I believe attitudes are beginning to shift. The land owner is known to rescue young water buffalo whose mothers are being sent to slaughter. I asked what he makes the buffalo do and was told by Dr. Prasitphol that he makes them “walk and eat”; translated, that means that he allows them to just be buffalo. Apparently he and Dr. Prasitphol also have a soft heart for stray dogs, because together they have rescued and care for nearly 100 street dogs at their perspective homes.

  • Som Boon

    Dec 22, 2010

    This morning I woke to the sad reality of death. Som Boon passed during the night. Thumbing through my notes, I see that on day two of my time at ENP I saw Som Boon and jotted down in my book that she had “small ears” and decayed teeth.

    The entire time I have been at the Park, Som Boon has been experiencing health problems. First she was not eating well, and then sores developed on the roof of her mouth. More recently she was not defecating. I had the opportunity to look in her mouth and saw that her top molars were missing large areas and were black with decay.

    After a brain-storming meeting with Derrick and Jodi, a long-time American volunteer who lives at the Park, Derrick ordered a shredder for Som Boon’s food.  The shredder idea came from the experience of an emaciated elephant who arrived at the Sanctuary with a very poor appetite.

    When Sissy came to the Sanctuary, she had difficulty masticating her food. We used a shredder to cut her hay into small “pre-digested” pieces. After several months her appetite improved, she gained several hundred pounds and she was able to return to eating non-shredded hay.

    The goal was that Som Boon would benefit from the shredded hay but, unfortunately, she had stopped eating by the time the shredder was delivered. Staff tried many approaches to get her to eat, drink and defecate, to no avail.

    During her necropsy, a large blockage was discovered in her large intestine. Estimated to weigh fifty pounds, the obstruction consisted of unmasticated and poorly digested pasture grass. The obstruction was completely dry, resembling a massive brick.

    Som Boon had lived at ENP for more than seven years and was dearly loved by all. She will be missed by her entire ENP family.