The Story of Boon Rod - a begging elephant

"By Lek Chailert" 20 Jul 2005

When the sun sets birds fly back home to their nests and land animals find their way back home. For elephants it is meant as a time for rest, a time to be with their families. For Boon Rod nighttime was a nightmare.

Night time was just the time for her to start work. Every night her mahout, and two other helpers, take her from a garbage dump where she stays during the day to trudge the hot streets of the city. They take her to walk the streets from 6 pm until the pubs and bars close down. Sometimes she works until 5 am in the morning. She take a short nap, leaning her weary head against electric poles, to catch whatever sleep she can while her mahout has his supper.

Boon Rod came from the Northeast of Thailand. Her mahout take her to beg in the streets. She started as an infant and has worked every day since. She is now 6 years old . Her fate is the same as the other street elephants in Thailand. Boon Rod never had the chance to live any other kind of life. Her mahout rents her from an elephant owner and takes her to work each night, like a money making machine.

After the Thai government enacted policy to stop street elephants and push them out from Bangkok the mahouts found it hard to make a living there. With more than 200 elephant working along the streets throughout Thailand they needed new locations and soon began looking for new destinations across the country. Chiang Mai was one of their favoured destinations. The city, with visitors from throughout the country and overseas, was deemed a good place to make money. Since early 2005 Boon Rod's trudged the streets of Chiang Mai. She worked with no time off. On the night of the 18th of July, as usual, she was forced out into the night streets with her group. Together they sell bags of bananas and beg money from tourists.

Suddenly a car came from behind her and out stepped the police. They want to arrest the mahout because it is illegal to take an elephant to work in the city. The mahout, expecting a normal night was unprepared for this. He climbed on her neck and used the hook to force Boon Rod to run from the police. The hook hit hard at her head and scraped behind her ears as he furiously urged her to run from the police car. The siren sound and flashing lights from the car confused and startled her. Finally the mahout gave up, jumped from her neck and ran, leaving her alone and helpless on the street. Without the directions from her mahout, and on a strange highway road, she lost control. She ran out into the busy traffic, hitting a motorcycle, a car and a post box. She ran through a busy street-side restaurant, overturning tables and chairs creating chaos wherever she went. It was now 11pm. Five hours had passed, and the police did not know how to handle her. They contacted Elephant Nature Park and Chom, one of our mahouts who was in Chiang Mai at the time, went to calm her down. At the scene many people lodged claims for loss and damage of their property. The glared at Boon Rod and were very angry that she had caused so much damage to their property. Boon Rod stood shaking nervously with tears rolling down her cheeks. She was alone, confused, afraid and in front of hundreds of angry strangers. Blood ran from wounds behind her ears where the mahout has been stabbing her with his hook as they tried to escape the police.

If she could express herself they would hear the pain from the bottom of her heart. After she was arrested the police agreed to send her to our park until the mahout, or the owner, paid a fine and for the damage.

On the way to the park she had to go to the police station where a picture was taken for police records. At the park she was welcomed by the herd. The mother and elder female elephants gave her their unconditional love. She loves to swim in the river with two young male elephants who have become her friends. Hope and Jungle boy are a similar age to her. Later she saw our new baby elephant and she has become a sister. Mae Bua Thong and three nanny elephants accept her as a new herd member. She so happy to taste the freedom of the park, the first freedom of her life.

Source: http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/news/0507c.htm