Sao Yai

Sao Yai is easily annoyed by big trucks and heavy machinery. So much so that she defies her mahout’s commands and runs at top speeds towards any truck or back hoe moving around at the ENP, threatening to do great bodily harm to the machine at work. This can be more than a little unnerving for the driver inside!! Sao Yai’s intensely loyal best friend Mae Lanna is usually right by her side or trailing a few yards behind her on these occasions.

Once they reach the guilty party they lose their nerve a bit, but to the occupant of the vehicle Sao Yai and friend look no less imposing. For Sao Yai, it seems that the back hoe has doubled in size once she is standing beside it. She postures threateningly and thumps her trunk on the ground adding in a few snorts for good measure as well. In order to get her away safely, the driver is usually signaled to cut the engine and take a ten minute break. Frustratingly for Sao Yai the heavy machinery is here to stay for the moment.

There are large chain-free enclosures being built that will take a few months to complete. In the meantime Sao Yai, Mae Lanna and Medo are often taken up to the sanctuary of the jungle behind the mahout village for the peace, solitude and natural environment that helps to keep the intense Sao Yai calm and composed.

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