— Boon Khum (BK) —
Boon Khum was born around 1950 and has spent most of his life logging and trekking. His name means merit and protection. He was rescued by Lek in 2001. Credit goes to a group of volunteers who collectively raised the funds to help buy him.
When Boon Khum (also known as BK) was young, he worked in a performing elephant show. He also might have worked as an elephant for rent used at temples, festivals or weddings. As he matured he moved to the jungle where he worked in the logging industry and later, trekking. He had grown into a handsome bull with a magnificent set of tusks.
One evening when chained in the forest after work doing illegal logging, some ivory poachers who had been admiring his tusks for some time, decided to pay him a visit. They brought along a chainsaw, some medication to immobilize him and food to put the drugs in. Once BK was immobilized, the men went to work cutting off the first tusk. They were greedy and cut as high as they could. Boon Khum struggled against them as the drugs started to wear off so the poachers fled before they got the second tusk. When his mahout found him missing one tusk, he cut the remaining tusk short so the poachers would have nothing to come back for.
While his first tusk was being cut off, the poachers cut very high and exposed enough nerve that infection set in and rotted the remaining bit away leaving an empty cavity. When Lek first saw BK, she gave him a 40% chance of survival. He was too sick and weak to move to Elephant Haven. Lek stayed with him and treated his tusk cavity infection with herbal medicines from the jungle. His body was covered with wounds from mistreatment. With Lek’s medical care and gentle, reassuring touch he began to get stronger and to trust humans again.
Lek’s love and care eventually healed BK’s mind as well as his body. He is now the resident dominant bull and is going into musth on average 2 times a year which is a sign of excellent physical and mental health. His remaining tusk has grown a foot since his arrival. BK is a frequent visitor to his initial home, Elephant Haven where he enjoys foraging in the jungle and at the Park, he is the impressive ‘King of the herd’.
To learn more about the histories and personalities of our elephants, please click on any of the links below.
