— Malai Tong —
Malai Tong’s name means "garland of gold." She was born around 1986, and began her life in the illegal logging industry. Thanks to Nancy Mann, funds were provided for her rescue and she arrived at Elephant Nature Park in December 2005.
While being used for illegal logging in 2003, in the Tak province of Thailand, Malai Tong fell victim to a landmine. Sadly, this is a fate quite common to many elephants in this line of work. As far as landmine victims go, Malai Tong is a very lucky one, as the front portion of her foot remains and she can bear weight on it.
After eight months recovery time, her mahout could see that she could bear some weight on her foot, and it was decided that it was time for her to "earn her keep" once more. Because of her slight limp, she could not continue to work in illegal logging and also was not suitable for carrying the heavy seat on her back in the trekking industry. Sadly, the only remaining option seemed to be a life of street begging. The mahout thought that with her handicap and disfigurement, she would receive a lot of sympathy and he in turn would make a lot of money, so off they went to Bangkok.
Street begging is the most hazardous line of work for elephants in Thailand, but is still legal. A few times a year the government decides to "crack down" on street begging elephants and orders them all to leave Bangkok. Malai Tong and her mahout were forced out of the city and went up to the Issan province, to beg there instead. With less tourists, the mahout was not able to make enough money, and soon it was decided that Malai Tong would be sold.
Lek found Malai Tong at the Surin Elephant Round-up in November 2005. She was standing in a field bobbing her head, swinging her trunk and swinging her injured leg- all in unison. This sort of behavior is a sure sign of a disturbed elephant. Lek immediately knew that Malai Tong was a perfect candidate for a rescue.
When she arrived at the Park, Malai Tong was immediately interested in the babies and becoming an auntie, but sadly all the auntie jobs were taken by more dominant females who were already established members of the Park herd. Malai Tong didn’t know where she was going to fit in. A few days later, happiness arrived in the form of a mother with a week old baby who needed maternity leave. Both were thin and weak. Malai Tong rushed over to them and appointed herself auntie of the little boy. Mother and baby were happy for the help. The baby immediately fell in love with her and tried suckling from her breast. Mother Mae Toh Koh seemed to sigh with relief, knowing that she could relax and start to heal with Malai Tong’s help caring for the baby.
Since her arrival at Elephant Nature Park, Malai Tong has become a more well adjusted elephant. Being part of a family group is very psychologically and emotionally healing for her. She no longer exhibits the swaying motions of a disturbed elephant. Hopefully one day Malai Tong will take an interest in one of the males and have a baby of her own to nurture, with other females vying for the coveted position of auntie to her baby.
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 |
