— Tong Suk (Jungle Boy) —
Tong Suk was born on November 15th 2001, and became a member of the Elephant Nature Park herd in May of 2003. his name means "Golden Happiness." The funds for his rescue were donated by Leonor Gonzo and Jodi Thomas.
While pregnant with Tong Suk, his mother Mae Boon Naam was working at the trekking camp below Elephant Haven. Lek followed the progress of her pregnancy and when the birth seemed near, she asked the mahout if Mae Boon Naam could come to rest at Elephant Haven until her baby was born, and stay for some time after the birth for the infant to get healthy and strong. Most owners can’t afford to give their elephants time off as they have families to feed, and if their elephant isn’t working they aren’t making any money. Lek offered to pay the owner a monthly wage for Mae Boon Naam to rest and give birth at Elephant Haven.
Not long after this, on the jungle slopes at the Haven, Lek assisted the birth of a baby with a head full of black hair and named him ‘Jungle Boy’. Mother and infant were allowed a short time of rest, but too soon mom was sent back to work trekking, and baby Jungle Boy had no choice but to follow along. The trails are long and in some places steep so he had trouble keeping up with mom and sometimes stumbled and fell. Rather than days filled with nursing and napping, his were filled with work. Rest and feeding came only when mom’s work day had ended.
Since Lek had assisted in Tong Suk's birth, and he had spent his first months at the Haven, Lek had gotten attached to him. She told the owners that if they ever decided they wanted to sell, she would be happy to buy him. When he was 1½ years old, Lek received word that the owners were interested in selling the baby she had named Jungle Boy. She contacted two volunteers who had met him at Elephant Haven when he was only three weeks old, and had expressed an interest to help.
Because he was still nursing and really too young to be separated from his mother, Lek insisted that Mae Boon Naam came along with her son on a leased basis until he was old enough to be weaned. Mother and baby lived peacefully together for just over a year, with self appointed auntie Mae Keow, until a sad day when the owners of Tong Suk's mom demanded that she return to work. Thankfully the little boy was eating a normal elephant diet by this time and not dependent on mother’s milk. He was able to stay at Elephant Nature Park under the care of his auntie, and never return to a life of hardship.
Tong Suk is now part of a family group consisting of Mae Keow, Lily and Mae Boon Ma, all adult females who look after him if he needs it. As he matured and started his positive reinforcement training and had started to grow an impressive set of tusks, he was given his more "grown up" name. He is getting more independent every day, and enjoys wrestling with Hope and Phu Pa in the river and in the mudpit whenever possible.
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 |
