— Maximus (Max) —
At 11' tall at the shoulder, Max is the tallest elephant at Elephant Nature Park, and is possibly the tallest elephant on record in Thailand. His birth certificate says he is around 45 years old, but his appearance and characteristics suggest he is about 70. Max began his new life at the Park in December 2002. Credit goes to Chas Begley and Rachel Jones of the charity Eleaid for investing capital in Max’s rescue.
Max has worked all the jobs that an elephant can, from circus performing, to logging, to trekking and street begging, even as a rental elephant for use at festivals, temples or weddings. When Max was a trekking elephant, he hated wearing the uncomfortable seat on his back, and would always try to shake it off, one day doing so with tourists on board, resulting in injuries. His mahout was not happy and took him up to the jungle and beat him and left him chained for a long period of time. Max got bored and hungry, managed to escape and went to visit a village and agricultural fields nearby. He did some damage to the water system and the crops. The villagers were not happy and threatened to shoot Max if they saw him again. Proving more trouble than he was worth, the owner was at a loss as to what to do with Max.
He next went to stay at a temple. For three years he was chained up by all four legs in front of the temple with a donation box in front of him. After many complaints of cruelty from the locals, the temple finally decided to sell Max. His new job was street begging outside of Bangkok, with extra work appearing at weddings and ceremonies.
On his way home ("home" being a vacant lot or garbage dump) from work one night, Max was hit by an 18 wheel truck and dragged for 15ft, resulting in a broken right leg at the wrist and other injuries. The broken leg healed improperly leaving Max with a limp, causing him to walk slower. It was soon apparent that street begging was no longer a career option. Max’s life was about to change again.
When Max was first spotted at the Surin elephant roundup in November 2002, he was very weak and underweight. Lek, Chas and Rachel were immediately interested, visualizing him in his former glory. He was an obvious choice for rescue. With a steady supplemental diet of sticky rice upon his arrival to the Park, Max has managed to put weight back on, but most of his time at the Park has been part of a slow recovery. He is still fighting off an abscess in his cheek resulting from a pressure wound he acquired during his transport to the Park.(He was too weak to stand, so he leaned against the rails of the truck for the duration of the journey.)
A very positive sign came in November 2004, when Max unexpectedly went into musth. Everyone at the Park was surprised at how fast Max could move as he sent more than one mahout running! Typical of adult males, Max is not part of any family group, although he is very popular with the ladies. He can be aggressive with humans, but is very gentle with other elephants and is often seen with a group of mothers, aunties and babies surrounding him. He is truly the ‘grand old man’ of the Park.
———— Our Beloved Max Has Left Us Forever ————
Max passed away on April 17, 2009. We were so very lucky to have such an amazing being as Max in our lives for six and a half years. His presence will be greatly missed by all who knew him, human, elephant and even the dogs. Max was a living example that despite past hardships, one can always move forward with dignity and a gentle, peaceful character. You can read more about his tragic passing in the April 2009 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 |  Lilly |
 Mae Bia |  Mae Mai |  Maximus (Max) |
 RaRa |  Ratree |  Somboon |
