Animals are nature’s way of teaching humans a lesson about selflessness. These beautiful creatures have proven time and time again that they’re loyal to us even after many different species have experienced brutality at the hands of human beings. Just ask the elephants of Southeast Asia who are now facing a horrible crisis. The killing rate of these noble creatures continues to rise in order to meet the ever increasing demand for elephant treks and circus tricks. Ultimately, it’s the tourism industry that’s affecting the local fauna to a greater extent as people often take these animals from their home in the jungle to exploit them.When the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand rescued her, they noticed that she was in desperate need of medical attention.
According to the Sanctuary, Baan Yen had been working at a camp for over 20 years. Sadly, the conditions there were very harsh and took a toll on her body.
It was even speculated that her former owners had forced her to mate with a bull elephant for several years. As a result, by the time she reached the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, she had already grown fearful of even her own kind.
So in a last ditch effort to save her, the staff gave her an exhaustive series of treatments. After eight days without any progress, the vet had her on IV drips, anti-inflammatory medication and some vitamin supplements.
Eventually, she began to recover physically and started exploring the sanctuary. However, she still had her emotional wall up and it didn’t seem like she was planning on taking it down anytime soon. She wouldn’t let anyone in and was still facing the effects of the psychological abuse she had experienced in the past. Her keepers felt helpless and were seriously concerned.
She started adjusting to her new surroundings and made friends with one of the elephants. Luckily, her keepers were able to witness and capture this moment. In these photos, another elephant, Dok Gaew, could be seen with her trunk wrapped around Baan. Dok, who’s a 60-year-old elephant, had come to the sanctuary in similar conditions as Baan had.
Dok was initially too weak to be moved to the sanctuary and needed emergency veterinary assistance before she could be rescued. Both Dok and Baan had a tough journey, but are now flourishing in their new, free and safe environment.
While there are days when she is all happy, throwing mud and bathing, there are times when she just leans her head against a tree and appears exhausted. But Kannika, Madee and Dok, her fellow elephants, make sure she feels protected.
