— Mae Tee —
Mae Tee was born around 1944. Her origins are unknown. Her name means "river" in Karen hilltribe language. Her rescue was generously funded by Australians Diane and Steve Franklin. She began her much deserved retirement at Elephant Nature Park in June of 2009.
Mae Tee had a long career as a logging elephant, first working in the teak industry. During the time that logging was legal and government-regulated. The work was hard but Mae Tee was well looked after, and was allowed time off and had medical care. After 1989 logging was made illegal, but this was all that Mae Tee knew, so her owner kept her in this line of work. Illegal logging flourished for a while after the ban and was very dangerous for the elephants who were employed. There were no guidelines or regulations, and the gear was not checked or maintained properly. Elephants were worked in the dead of night and at times of year that had very treacherous working conditions. Sadly another common occurrence in illegal logging that had devastating side effects was the use of methamphetamines. To keep the elephants working the long and late hours that were needed to get the job done quickly, the elephants were fed "yaa baa" pills to fight off the exhaustion and hunger that would affect their job performance.
Most elephants were already in rather poor condition by the time they were fed the methamphetamines. Mae Tee was one of these elephants. For a short period of time after taking the drug, Mae Tee didn't feel tired or hungry, and worked day and night. But soon her body started feeling the negative side effects caused by the prolonged use of the drug. She lost fat and muscle tone and became a walking skeleton, the cartilage deteriorated in her front wrist joints. Her ankle joints completely worn out. She became skittish and paranoid and with the exhaustion, soon she became unresponsive to commands. She had deep trenches in her forehead where she had been beaten with the hook to try keep her moving.
Finally her owners realized that there wasn't much life left in her and took her off the job. Her days of overwork didn't end there though. The details of her life are quite vague. She might have been given some time to rest after this period of time to regain her strength, so she could be worked once again. At some point she ended up down in Krabi again working in logging, but this time it was legal logging at a rubber tree plantation. The logs were smaller, but there were more of them to be pulled at once. Mae Tee was feeling older than her years by this time and was completely worn out. Once again she was taken off the job.
When Lek found out about Mae Tee, she had been sold to a nearby trekking camp, the owners buying her before they could see that she wouldn't be of much use to them. By this time she looked like a walking skeleton, her wrist joints stiff with arthritis. Walking was an effort and running wasn't an option. Soon after her arrival at this camp she collapsed from exhaustion and malnutrition. The new owners decided to sell her.
As always, Lek was happy to buy an elephant in this condition knowing that a little tender loving care could bring her back to life and give her a few final years free from overwork and exploitation. Within days of her arrival, Mae Tee paired up with another female a bit younger but from a similar background, Mae Kham Geao. The two ladies bonded so instantly that it seemed they might have spent time working together and had been friends some time in the past.
With her healthy diet and lifestyle change, Mae Tee has filled out nicely. And now that she has a girlfriend to share her days with, her quality of life is greatly improved. She enjoys each day, moving as slowly as she needs to, never being rushed and never having to work again.
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 |
