— Hope —
Hope was rescued in March 2002. He was approximately 1½ yrs old and was newly orphaned. His Thai name, Yod Doi is northern Thai for "top of the mountain." Credit for funding his rescue goes to Leonor Gonzo and Jodi Thomas, who also had a hand in raising him.
Hope was very thin, sickly, depressed and frightened. His owner could not afford the milk formula and had no experience caring for motherless babies so he asked Lek if she would care for him. After Hope was healthy and robust the owner planned to take him back to put him through training and then on to work.
In his new home, Hope’s source of milk, nurturing and affection came from humans, where before it had come from his mother. Hope was not used to interaction with people and didn’t know how to respond to it. He refused human contact, wouldn’t accept the milk offered to him and wouldn’t relax enough to sleep at night. He was unruly and dangerous, sometimes causing injury.
To slowly gain his trust, Lek would sneak into Hope’s area at night and cuddle him while he slept. When he awoke Lek would flee. Night after night, Lek was slowly gaining Hope’s trust. Her patience paid off. Soon Hope became more accepting of his human caregivers and less aggressive.
By this time Lek had fallen in love with Hope, and dreaded the thought of returning him to his owner and Hope enduring the phajaan torture training. His health was improving every day and he was becoming a fat and friendly young elephant. She contacted the owner and asked if he would sell Hope to her. After a bit of negotiation the owner agreed.
Lek had plans for Hope. She wanted to raise a baby elephant and use positive reinforcement and affection methods as her basis for training to prove that the cruel torture training is unnecessary. She renamed him Hope, because his upbringing is truly ‘hope for the future of all Thai elephants’
Now at 6½, Hope is the oldest of three young students being trained by this method. He knows all the basic commands that domestic elephants are taught and good behavior with other elephants and people is being positively reinforced every day. Lek hopes that one day the phajaan will be abolished and elephants will never suffer this method of training again.
Hope enjoys roaming Elephant Nature Park, mingling with the big bulls or hanging out with his aunties, Mae Perm, Jokia and Somboon. Now that he is getting older, Hope is more independent. He can often be seen ambling around with a mischievous glint in his eye. His favorite activity is wrestling with Tong Suk in the river at bath time. He loves to play with young and old elephants alike, much to the consternation of some. Always guaranteed to make you smile, Hope is the fat, sassy, cartoon-cute, clown prince of the Park.
———— Become Hope's Foster Parent ————
 | Hope is one of the Park's youngest and cheekiest elephants! He was born in 2001 but sadly orphaned shortly thereafter. Hope arrived at the Park when he was just over a year old. He is a playful and boisterous young elephant and certainly keeps his mahout on his toes! |
Foster Hope for 2 years for 3,750 Thai baht (US $121.44 or UK £76.79)
Foster Hope for 3 years for 5,500 Thai baht (US $178.11 or UK £112.63)
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) |  Khum Min |  Lilly |
 Mae Bia |  Mae Mai |  Maximus (Max) |
 RaRa |  Ratree |  Somboon |
