These are just some stories of survival from the elephants that have been rescued and taken to Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, a sanctuary where elephants can live there life free from any harm.  If we can stop or mitigate the harm done to elephants just like these, then we can take an important step toward making the world better for all living things.  These are only a few survivors from the thirty at Elephant Nature Park, and there are hundreds still out there waiting to be rescued.

LILY-Lily was owned by a family and all the members were desperate to make money.  She was used by one family member in the day for work trekking and another family member at night for illegal logging.  Lily became overworked and her physical and mental capacity ran low.  The owner that worked her in illegal logging used methamphetamines to keep himself awake at night.  Realizing the “positive” affects the drugs had on his productivity, he decided to use them on Lily as well.  At first the drugs made her able to work long hours without getting tired or stopping to eat or drink.  But over time the effects started to make her spaced out and she was unresponsive without her drugs.  When she was rescued, Lily was in bad shape; her legs were shaking, her eyes were rolling, and she was salivating at the mouth.  She had refused to work and her owners beat her to get her to work some more.  After being rescued she was treated with herbal medicines and looked after for three months until her conditions improved.  She now lives her life at Elephant Nature Park free from any abuse or addiction.  Lily’s story is not uncommon.  Many Thai elephants are drugged so that they are able to work longer hours.

Medo - Medo was also in the illegal logging industry along the borders of Thailand and Burma.  She was put to work at a young age and was injured carrying a log, which broke her ankle.  She was unable to work, but still had a lot of potential in her future because she was so young.  Medo’s owner wanted to make money off of her and decide to breed her.  He chose the strongest male he could find, which was in musth (musth occurs in male elephants and it results in the testosterone levels rising as much as 60 times the normal level).  Medo was chained by all four legs and the male elephant aggressively attacked her, pinning her to the ground with his tusks.  Medo’s back became dislocated and she was bleeding.  Nobody, not even here owner, came to her rescue.  She fought for her life for 3 years.  Embarrassed by her conditions, the owners kept her in isolation from other people and she worked in a remote village carrying logs.  When Medo was rescued and brought to Elephant Nature Park, she had not seen an elephant in fifteen years.  She took some time to adjust and was very shy about meeting new friends.  Although her body will never properly heal, Medo has been adjusting greatly to her new life.