— Khum Min —
Khum Min (pronounced kham meun) is a small-eared, medium-sized tusk-less bull whose name means ‘ten thousand gold’. Although his exact age is uncertain, it is estimated that he was born around 1963. He arrived at Elephant Nature Park in August 2003 and thanks for the funds to finance his rescue go to Bert Von Roemer of the Serengeti foundation USA.
Throughout his life, Khum Min worked in logging and trekking, sometimes working double shifts, a fate common to a surprising number of elephants. Eventually he ended up being employed by a trekking camp near the park carrying tourists on his back through the jungle.
Although elephants are very strong, their spines are very weak and not meant to bear weight. Carrying the tourist seat on their backs for many hours a day creates serious health problems for many elephants. In Khum Min’s case, the chronic pressure from the seat on his back and the constant chafing from the straps that went under his belly to hold it on led to severe infection.
In early 2003 the abscess on Khum Min’s back was so bad that it became apparent to his mahout that he could no longer carry the seat for trekking. His owner approached Elephant Nature Park looking to sell. Thanks to Bert, the funds were made available.
When Khum Min first arrived, in addition to the abscess on his back, he had foot problems and an infection where his tushes (small tusks) had broken off. Within seven months he had recovered from his injuries and is now a healthy elephant, going into musth periods on a regular basis. Khum Min lives out his days at the park, enjoying the plentiful food supply and even a female admirer or two.
To learn more about the histories and personalities of our elephants, please click on any of the links below.
