Mae Phong Sri the injured leg elephant

It is never too late to rescue any old elephant, if we can see that they have not given up. Even if they suffer and struggle, their spirit can be defiant of an ending, and we will never give up on them.

Mae Phong Sri, was so weak and very old. She could hardly lift her legs, and her back left leg she dragged to move it back underneath her as she shuffled along. Her foot pads had been damaged by many years of carrying riders along the hot street. Her hips and ankles are unstable, her muscles quivering under her weight. There are some people who might say that she should be euthanized, having reached the end of her utility, and no longer enjoying days of vitality. But her eyes are clear, and they speak a different story and have yet a zest for life. Though the tarnished broken window is closing on her battered days, she craves a natural life, safe and free to enjoy what life can yet afford her. This small taste of kindness we can give to her.

At the tourist camp the mahout said that she did not sleep at all. But to look at her quarters, it was no wonder, as the floor was flat, muddy and wet from urine and rain. When she arrived at our place, she lay down to sleep every day, fresh sand piles around her yard to give her a choice for reclining. As she was so weak, staff had to assist her standing each morning. Food abundance, fluid and vitamin therapy daily, care of her injuries, and restful hours in the pool, is hastening her recovery. She already lies down and gets up again by herself. Though a ways off yet, we are hopeful for the day when she might select a friend or join a herd.

The captive working elephant cannot choose it's life. It is a quiet desperation, those many who remain, their dignity stripped, as an object for human entertainment. Living free is a dream constantly suppressed by fear and the threat of harm, even they be handicapped, lame and old.

As the expectations of tourists are tempered by a will to travel responsibly and with a care for others living, the opportunities for elephants to end their days under a more gentle and liberating hand, shall increase as well. They all deserve a chance to living free and happy among the herd. It is time to pay them back with better care.

Mae Sri, for one, has come home at Elephant Nature Park. Please follow for updates

For more detail : https://www.saveelephant.org/