— Medo —
Medo was born between 1985-1987. Her Karen-language name is a reference to her extremely handicapped condition that resulted from two horrific past incidents she has endured. Medo was rescued from a remote area near the Thai-Burma border and arrived at Elephant Nature Park in the end of June 2006, thanks to funds kindly donated by Bert Von Roemer of the Serengeti Foundation and Connie Speight of the Elephant Umbrella Fund.
By the time Medo was eight years old, logging was already banned in Thailand. Sadly the industry still flourished after that, unregulated and with poor working conditions for the elephants. At less than ten years old, Medo was put to work in the illegal logging industry. She was really too young to be doing such heavy labor, and as a result of this became a victim of a serious logging accident, in which her back right ankle was badly broken. The bone never properly set, and to this day her original injury is evident, the ankle is misshapen and enlarged.
After Medo recovered from her injury, it was obvious that she would never be able to perform heavy work for the rest of her life. At a loss as to what to do with Medo, her owner decided to sell her. The man who bought her did so with the full understanding that she could not be used for the work that was typical for elephants without such a handicap. Unfortunately, she still had to ‘earn her keep’.
Medo’s new owner decided that since she was young and healthy otherwise, he would use her as a breeding elephant. In her mid-teens, it was deemed time for her to be impregnated. With no regard to whether she and her chosen ‘mate’ were compatible, she was chained to a tree by her front two legs, feeling quite vulnerable. As Medo awaited her fate, a big bull in musth was brought over and chained next to her. Under normal conditions he might not have taken an interest in her, but soon frustration, anger, testosterone and desire all took control of him and he attacked and mounted her savagely.
Medo collapsed from the aggressiveness of his actions. As she lay there in pain and misery, no one dared to try to come to her aid, as they were fearful of the musth bull. She laid there for two days, before they could get the bull away from her and assess her injuries. It seemed that she had a dislocated spine and a broken pelvis.
Not a lot is known about her recovery, but most likely, due to the remoteness of her location, she probably never went to a hospital or had a doctor examine her. Amazingly, after a lengthy time of rest, it was determined that she could still walk, but no camp would ever want to hire an elephant in this condition. Also it was obvious that she would never be able to get pregnant due to the severity of her injuries.
When Lek found Medo, she was working for a village dragging small logs from the forest to be used for building. Lek could not let her live another day of hardship and started the negotiations to buy her. Thankfully, now she will spend the rest of her days at Elephant Nature Park free to rest and relax and socialize.
———— Become Medo's Foster Parent ————
 | Until the Elephant Nature Park team finally found her on a Jumbo Express to the Mae Sariang region in February 2006, Medo spent her days dragging small logs in an isolated village in the mountains without other elephant contact. Seeing Medo's unnatural gait always has an impact on people, and there was no question that this special working elephant needed rescuing. |
Foster Medo for 2 years for 3,750 Thai baht (US $120.33 or UK £78.17)
Foster Medo for 3 years for 5,500 Thai baht (US $176.48 or UK £114.66)
[Learn more about our Foster an Elephant program]
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 |
