Ploythong, the blind elephant was accepted to join with Chana and Kabu.
We rescued Ploy Thong from Pattaya elephant camp in Feb 2018. She has both eyes blind. She transported tourists every day. She was saddled early, daily and carried riders until the sun set. She uses her trunk to sniff the way while the tourist ride on her back. We saw she was working while on the journey to rescue Bua Keaw, and began the discussion with the owner to set her free.
When she first arrived at the Park, there was an immediate infatuation between Faa Mai and Ploythong. For a couple of weeks, Faa Mai tried hard to admit her to the family but it became apparent that senior members in the group were not having that. Though it was hard, we decided to settle her in with other friends. We introduced her to Saree and Meesook who lived across the river. It was a good match up and they spent happy years together. Meesook and Ploythong became very close. Saree also liked her. We don’t understand why their friendship changed but we must manage the fact. Ploythong was pushed away and abandoned by them. We started to introduce Ploy Thong to other groups, but she was reticent and fearful. She desperately need a friend who could be her eyes and guide her kindly.
We introduced Ploy Thong to Chana and Kabu but as expected, Kabu did not accept and offered no friendly welcome. We decided to attempt a pairing by placing them in adjacent shelters. Elephants love to talk and often their night conversation can overcome a multitude of assumptions.
After some time, when Chana accepted Ploythong, Kabu eventually did as well. We hope their friendship will last forever .
