— Mae Boon and Aura —
Mae Boon is approximately 38 years old and arrived at Elephant Nature Park with her daughter Aura in December 2005, when Aura was 6 months old. They were brought to the Park for a ‘maternity leave’ so to speak, and sadly are not permanent members of the Park herd. Their owner contacted Lek to ask if the pair could come to stay at the Park so that Aura could have a healthy childhood. It is hoped that in the future he might decide to sell them, so they would never have to return to a life of work.
Mae Boon’s last place of employment was at a trekking camp not far from the Park, where she carried tourists up and down the mountain trails and occasionally performed in shows. All of her life she worked long hours and was malnourished because of being overworked. As a result, she had never gave birth until Aura. Considering her poor condition, her owner sent her to Lampang Elephant Hospital to have her baby in case there were any complications.
Soon after Aura was born it became obvious that the pair were not thriving where they were being kept. They needed more exercise and stimulation. It was at this time that their owner started to look for another place for them to stay, and decided on Elephant Nature Park.
Upon their arrival at the Park, there was a stir of recognition from some of our resident eles. Since Mae Boon had worked down the road before, at a camp below Elephant Haven, she had spent some of her rare time off grazing on the same mountain slopes as Lek’s first five elephants, and had made a few acquaintances.
Now settled in at the Park, Mae Boon is one of the Park’s most entertaining personalities. She is a classic elephant beauty- full figured, statuesque, long eyelashes and beautiful tail, but can be a bit of an "airhead" at times. She can lose track of Aura for hours at a time if she gets distracted by newly ripe figs or a patch of tasty grass, which has earned her the nickname "part-time mom." Aura is always safe and sound, off playing with her best friend Tong Jan and being looked after by Tong Jan’s more attentive mom and aunties.
Mae Boon is becoming our daily visitor's "greeter." As the lunch time feeding approaches, and the visitors gather on the platform, she rushes up to be the first to receive any pre-lunch tidbits. Mae Boon has a very unique way of opening her mouth and showing all of her teeth, which is not common for most elephants, so she is very irresistible, memorable and educational for our visitors. Little Aura is starting to do the same thing. Like mother, like daughter.
At the Park, Aura is growing into a healthy and playful elephant. She is receiving the same positive reinforcement training as permanent residents Tong Jan, Tong Suk, and Hope. It is hoped that her owner will see the benefits of this style of training and not choose to put her through the phajaan torture training in the future. With luck, she will never have to experience this ceremony and will be able to live out the rest of her life happily at Elephant Nature Park.
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 |  Mae Bia |
 Mae Mai |  Maximus (Max) |  RaRa |
 Ratree |
