Dani passed away, she left us with all the beautiful memories. Rest In Peace beautiful soul.
Dear Elephant friends,
Sad, but expected news to share with you. Dani has given up and left this world peacefully in the evening of 03 September 2021.
Dani arrived at Elephant Nature Park on November 30, 2010 and was rescued from the logging industry. Throughout her life, she worked hauling logs along the Thai-Myanmar border. Both of Dani’s front legs were injured badly from a log that rolled down, striking her. Her former owner said that it happened when she was in her sixties. She was ailing for many years, and unable to drag timber again. The owner decided to sell her when she became no longer useful for work. She was then rescued to ENP. After settled in at the park, she first connected with Mae Kham Puan who was rescued at around the same time with Dani. As Dani is more socially, she became friends with Mae Bualoy (passed away on February 2019) and Mae BoonMa (passed away on June 2017), two older elephants. Later they joined Faa Mai’s herd, becoming nannies briefly for the baby elephants in that herd.
It wasn’t long that the young handicapped boy named Khun Dej arrived and Dani immediately adopted him, taking him away from the larger groups where he could be safe. She loved and protected him like her own son. After awhile, Khun Dej gravitated to another nanny who could temper his male moodiness, but Dani soon became nanny to another young bull, the orphaned Dok Geaw. Dani devoted herself to these boys until they became too much to handle, and the playful behavior a risk to her more frail stature. When Dani accepted JeamSai, a blind elephant, as her best friend, she was also careful to protect her friend from the rough and ready boys.
Over the past two years, Dani has shown noticeable signs of exhaustion. She struggled and showed signs of illness in walking, defecation, and vision. She began to distance herself from the boys, remaining close to her friend, JeamSai. When Dani began to eat less food, we moved her to an area close to the elephant clinic for closer supervision. In the past several months, Dani would lay down during the day to rest, with difficulty standing again. The team of vets and mahouts would push Dani up almost every morning, as with other old elephants at our project. Last week, Dani seemed to have had enough. We knew right away that it wouldn’t be long now.
On 03 September 2021, in the morning Dani wouldn’t lift her head, her eyes closed and snoring softly. We let her sleep. In the evening Dani’s heartbeat was faint, and then she left us. Dani died surrounded by both love and sadness. She has gone on to be with her friends who departed before her. Sorrow left behind, she has shared with us such wonderful memories.
Rest in Peace, darling Dani.
