— Mae Toh Koh and Pupia —
Mae Toh Koh and Pupia are at Elephant Nature Park on maternity leave. Her Karen language name means "long legs" and his means "limpy" as he arrived in a very frail condition. That was on January 2nd 2006 when Pupia was only 4 days old. The owner was not interested in selling them, but realized that if he didn’t get his mother and new baby to some place safe to rest and recover, the newborn might not survive.
It seems that neither her mahout, nor her owner realized just how far along she was in her pregnancy. She had received no time off or extra food rations. The bulk of her pregnancy was spent working through the busy tourist season. One evening after work, she was chained up in the jungle as usual. The next morning the mahout got a big surprise when he went to get Mae Toh Koh for her work day. With her was a newborn baby who was undersized and weak, and had a very wobbly back leg. He could barely stand, and stumbled when he walked. At first it was thought that Pupia had some form of deformity or an injury in his back leg. As he got stronger it became obvious that the problem was most likely due to not getting proper nutrition in the womb. Because his mother didn’t get enough rest or food during the pregnancy, his bones and muscles were weak.
Upon arrival at Elephant Nature Park their much needed rest and recovery time began. Malai Tong immediately joined them as self-appointed auntie and took over some of the child care duties so Mae Toh Koh could have some recovery time. Not getting enough rest prior to giving birth, she was suffering some minor complications. Also, Pupia became so interested with his new auntie, he spent more time trying to nurse from her than from his mother, and Mae Toh Koh's breasts were becoming overly swollen and painful. It wasn’t too long before Pupia was suckling from his mother once again, and he is now a healthy and playful young boy with no signs of the bad leg.
They are now part of a five member family group, including Malai Tong, his first auntie, and Sri Nuan and Dok Ngern, two other females who arrived three weeks after Pupia and Mae Toh Koh. Pupia is lucky to be growing up with many aunties who love and nurture him. He also has daily positive reinforcement training sessions, which he is responding to wonderfully.
———— Sad Times as Pupia and Mom Leave the Park ————
Mae Toh Koh and Pupia were taken away from Elephant Nature Park by their owners in May 2008. Sadly, Pupia will be separated from his mother and he will be sent to one of the many training centers to be taught to paint. We are heartbroken by this development, and will miss little Pupia and his beautiful mother dearly. You can read more about their departure from the Park in the May 2008 Newsletter.
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 |
