By Jemma Bullock | Deputy Director
ELIE & the Elephant Valley Projects (EVP) sponsor an elephant page is an ongoing funding program for the 10 elephants now at the EVP Sanctuary. Donors can sponsor one of our elephants as a monthly contribution or support them with a one off donation. To give you a quick update on the elephants at EVP, one of which you may be directly sponsoring, read on.
Firstly we must start with a small memorial to two of our most loved elephants, who have passed in the last couple of months
Sambo
It was with much sadness that we said an emotional goodbye to our wonderful elephant, Sambo, in Oct 2023. Sambo was one of our favorites at EVP, by both guests and staff alike. Mainly because of her sweet nature, but also because of the resilience she showed prior to her arrival at EVP. We wish Sambo could have talked, to tell us in her own words the story of her life. Surviving the Khmer Rouge, assisting with the reconstruction of Phnom Penh, and then working as a Phnom Penh tourist elephant for over 30 years, she experienced much in her lifetime. We were extremely thankful that she was able to retire to the forests of Mondulkiri for the final 9 years of her life. Those who visited her at EVP often witnessed her dedicated mahout, Sophal, preparing her daily foot care, to attend to her damaged feet from years of walking on the city streets. It was unfortunately her infected teeth, from years of eating an unnatural diet in the city, that got the better of her. Though we were prepared for her to pass on, it was still a shock to us none-the-less. We miss her big, beautiful presence every day. Thank you so much for your donations over the years, that assisted us in providing all the care that Sambo needed for her final retirement years.
Mae Nang
To end the year, we unfortunately said goodbye to our beautiful old elephant Mae Nang. Fondly referred to by the staff as “Grumpy Grandma”, Mae Nang was our oldest resident elephant, at the estimated age of 73. Mae Nang's past was one of hardships, heavy labor, and unkindness. She touched many hearts at the EVP with her tragic story, and she trully epitomized the need for a place such as EVP. Her arrival at EVP in 2011, was the first time she was able to really be an elephant. Through the gentle guidance of her mahouts, as well as observing the other elephants, she learned to explore and forage in the forest, and enjoyed throwing water and mud on herself. Though she never truly became comfortable around many people, she did have a few dedicated mahouts that had earned her trust. We are forever thankful for your donations. With your help we were able to make Mae Nang’s final years in the forest the best years of her life.
Update on all the other eles
Nung Bra (Ruby)
While the passing of Sambo was hard for us, it was also a loss for her best friend and companion of many years, Ruby. After Sambo’s passing, Ruby spent a few days vocalizing and waiting for the return of her friend. Not wanting Ruby to be alone for long, the elephant care staff organized for Ruby to meet Doe and Darling. Unfortunately Darling did not warm to Ruby, and thus Ruby did not join this pairing. While we would love for her to have another elephant companion, we are very thankful for her dedicated, kind, and hardworking Mahot, Yel. Yel spends his day with Ruby in the forest, her constant companion. Thank you for your support, to help us provide for our wonderful Ruby, and her wonderful Mahout.
Gee Yul (Easy Rider)
Though our big girl Easy Rider mostly displays a headstrong personality, in the past couple months we witnessed some of her big, caring heart shine through. In September, her best friend Gee Nowl unfortunately needed assistance from the mahouts to stand, after having fallen down. Easy Rider spent the next several days staying close to Gee Nowl, making sure her friend was ok. Easy Rider surprised us again, three weeks after the passing of Mae Nang when one afternoon, while in the middle of foraging in the forest, Easy Rider led Gee Nowl straight to Mae Nang's burial spot. Easy Rider stayed at Mae Nang’s grave for almost an hour, vocalizing and smelling the ground. We were amazed by the behaviors that Easy Rider displayed. Thank you for your continued support so that we can continue to be amazed by our lovely Easy Rider.
Gee Nowl
This past rainy season was tough on some of our older elephants, such as our gentle giant Gee Nowl. In September, Gee Nowl laid down to sleep, or fell down we are not sure, but due to the ground being extremely muddy and slippery, she was unable to get herself up. With the determination of the elephant care staff, and some heavy lifting, luckily we were able to get her standing. The extended period of time laying down, did result in some sore spots on her skin and of course her energy was drained. Due to your donations, we were able to treat her wounds and give her extra supplements to boost her energy, so she is back to her wonderful, gentle self.
Hen
Handsome Hen has continued to do really well with the change we made to his pain medications since June. He had a small injury in his front foot, getting a piece of bamboo wood embedded in between the toe nails. Luckily he is very trusting of his mahouts, and the mahouts were able to remove the bamboo and apply some medications. Interestingly, we did not see a musth period come on this year. Musth is a heightened hormonal period in male elephants, triggered when they are looking for a mate. The fact that Hen did not experience a musth period this year, may indicate that he is starting to show his grand old 60 years of age. We are thankful that your support allows us to care for Hen as he ages, ensuring he is healthy for many years to come.
Gee Bloh (Doe)
Our dear Doe has been overall healthy these past few months. Other than a few cuts and minor wounds, we are happy there was nothing serious to report these past months. We did have one report of wild elephants in the area in September, and so for Doe and Darling’s safety, the mahouts moved the girls out of Heaven Valley. However, after just a couple of days, it seemed the wild elephants had moved away. Doe and Darling were able to move back to Heaven Valley, and happily go back to eating their favorite food, bamboo. As always, we appreciate your support in helping us to be able to care for Doe, so she continues to be our dear, healthy Doe.
Bong Kong (Darling)
Just like her best friend Doe, we have been thankful that Darling has been overall healthy these past several months. After the passing of Sambo, we thought it might be nice for Ruby to join the Doe and Darling duo. However, Darling wasn’t in favor of this idea and decided that she didn’t need any more friends. We were all a little surprised to see Darling, who is normally quite calm and gentle, be pushy with small Ruby. Even though Darling wasn’t very kind to Ruby, we still love her strong, independent personality. She’s a favorite to watch, and we thank you for enabling us to keep Darling healthy and comfortable.
Ning Wan
Our gentle matriarch Ning Wan experienced a blockage in September, as periodically happens to her because of her worn down teeth. Because this isn’t the first compaction we have experienced with her, the boys are getting quite good at recognizing the signs and taking action quickly. With quick action and meds, poor Ning Wan only had a few days of discomfort before she was able to pass the blockage on her own. We continue to provide her cooked rice and lots of soft produce, so that our old girl can continue to lead her herd with confidence. Thank you for your support in helping us to provide supplements for Ning Wan.
Gee Chreng
Gee Chrang, usually our healthiest elephant, experienced one minor issue that required medical attention starting in August. During a routine health check, the care team noticed a small infected skin lesion. Over the next weeks it continued to grow more noticeable. It turns out it was a parasitic warble fly wound. Once we were able to identify the cause, applying some dewormer medication regularly reduced the wound, and helped our girl Gee Chrang return to her normal, healthy self. Her loving family also came together to perform a traditional Bunong ceremony to make sure all the spirits were also happy and not causing problems for GeeChreng. Thanks to you, we are able to supply these elephants with the medications they need, no matter what might arise.
Gee Pael (Pearl) & Gee Pech (Diamond)
Mama Pearl unfortunately suffered a major injury that we have been focusing a lot of attention on the past two months. Before she passed back in October, Mae Nang tripped and fell over a tree. Her fall caused her to vocalize which scared baby Diamond, who took off running. Diamond unfortunately fell into a man made dam/ditch and while trying to get to Diamond, Pearl then injured her rear leg. At first we thought maybe she suffered a sprained leg, as her leg just appeared very swollen. But as the weeks went on, her injury seemed to get worse, with her hardly putting any weight on the leg at all and it opened into quite a large wound. We have had all hands on deck, attending to Pearl’s injured leg, consulting with several vets, as to the best course of medications and treatments. We are so thankful for everyone that has offered their assistance as we continue to hope for Pearl’s leg to recover. Your donations allow us to ensure that we can provide whatever is needed for Pearl. Though Pearl’s leg has us quite worried, we are glad to report that Baby Diamond has no injuries, and is happy and energetic as ever. In fact, because mom is not moving around in the forest too much these days, Diamond is taking advantage and nursing often, growing fat and healthy!
Thankyou
We want to thank you all for HELPING US, HELP THEM. Your support is helping us cover costs for medicine, supplements, and everything else for these amazing pachyderms. We are committed to providing a better life for the amazing retired and rescued elephants under our care, but we could not do this without you, so thank you all for your sponsorships and donations.
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By Jemma Bullock | Deputy Director
By Jemma Bullock | Deputy Director
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