— Faa Sai —
Thought to be born in mid 2003, Faa Sai was found at the Surin Elephant Round-up in November of 2007. She arrived at Elephant Nature Park to begin her new life, days after the festival ended, thanks to the many generous people who answered Lek's emergency plea for help to raise the funds to buy Faa Sai. Her name means "clear sky" and Lek gave her this name because starting her new life at Elephant Nature Park was like a clear sky after the storm of her abusive past.
When Lek and the crew of volunteers who accompanied her first saw Faa Sai, she was in a terrible state. Her eyes were squeezed shut and tears flowed down her cheeks. She had fresh scars all over the top of her head and around her ears, especially behind the ears. She was handcuffed so that there was no chain space between her two front legs. Faa Sai was thrashing around frantically, trying to break free of her bonds. Lek immediately felt that she couldn't leave Surin without this young elephant in distress, and the group of volunteers wholeheartedly agreed.
Faa Sai is a perfect example of how the phajaan torture training and secondary training to learn circus type tricks can actually back-fire and cause an elephant to rebel from so much training. They become an uncooperative and unpredictable elephant who can end up being very dangerous. It is very fortunate for Faa Sai that she was rescued when she was so she did not have to continue on down a road paved with cruelty and exploitation and end up injuring someone.
During the journey from Surin to the Park, with volunteers riding in the back of the truck to comfort her, Faa Sai must have started to realize that her life was making a change for the better. By the time she reached the Park her eyes were open and didn't look so irritated. As soon as she got down from the truck, she looked out at the green grasses and elephants grazing in the distance and immediately ran out to introduce herself and figure out where she would fit in. Faa Sai was so used to having hobbles or handcuffs on her front legs, she didn't know how to walk properly, and didn't bend her front legs at the wrist. She was very thin, her spine was prominent and her legs looked extra long. Faa Sai has scar tissue on the lenses of both eyes which causes her vision to be cloudy and indistinct. With proper care and medication this affliction can be remedied.
As the days passed, Faa Sai desperately tried to find her way in to a family group or at least acquire a nurturing auntie. First she tried Mae Boon, Aura's mom who wasn't interested in taking on an adopted niece. Faa Sai then joined the Pupia family group, where she was quite happy and really became attached to Pupia and his mother, Mae Toh Koh. Sadly, this pair were here on a leased basis and were not permanent residents. Only months after Faa Sai felt comfortable, Pupia and his mother were taken back by their owners. Faa Sai followed around Mae Boon and Aura for a while after this, but finally ended up as an adopted big sister to Tong Jan and became a permanent member of her family group. This has been a very positive change in Faa Sai's life, as the Tong Jan family is very stable and all of the members are permanent residents. Faa Sai has grown quite attached to Tong Jan and is growing into a healthy, robust, socially well adjusted elephant.
To learn more about the histories and personalities of our elephants, please click on any of the links below.
— Gone But Not Forgotten —
Sadly, some elephants come to the Park not as permanent members of our herd, but only as temporary guests. We do all that we can in order to purchase them from their owners so that they never have to leave, but in some cases we are not successful. These elephants have been taken back by their owners and are sorely missed.
 Mae Boon and Aura |  Mae Elu |  Mae Toh Koh and Pupia |
 Phu Pa |
— In Loving Memory —
These beloved members of our herd have passed away, but they will live forever in our hearts and minds.
 Boon Khum (BK) |  Mae Bia |  Mae Mai |
 Maximus (Max) |
