Pai Lin, an elephant off the streets

We have a very large new resident at Wildlife Friends of Thailand. Pai Lin, an Asian elephant has come to live with us after spending many years on the city streets up country. She is around 45 years old and when she arrived she was in poor physical condition, underweight, dehydrated and suffering from nasal and eye discharge caused by an upper respiratory infection. As a result of carrying a heavy ‘seat’ with possibly up to six tourists in it, her back is deformed and a strange shape, although, thankfully, she doesn’t appear to be in any pain with it.

When she arrived, she was seen immediately by our vet and had a thorough examination and health check. Since her arrival, she has had a diet of good food, vitamin supplements and plenty to drink. She is improving all the time and is loving her new life. She has settled in well with our other three elephants and is particularly friendly with Nam Phon.

Instead of pounding up and down busy city streets, Pai Lin now spends her days standing on natural ground of earth and grass instead of concrete or tarmac, breathing good fresh air instead of traffic fumes, eating as much as she wants with the company of other elephants and having the care of our experienced mahouts and veterinary staff. In the late afternoons, all the elephants are walked out into the beautiful forest surrounding the centre where they spend the night foraging and eating natural foods as they would in the wild. Pai Lin is a beautiful and gentle elephant who now has a life filled with peace and quiet, a life that she truly deserves.