Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve is thrilled to announce our sanctuary is growing! On 10 February 2025, we welcomed Mae Boon Lai to our sanctuary, marking the beginning of a new, free life for this beautiful elephant. Our team embarked on an incredible journey to rescue her all the way from Chonburi, bringing her back to her new home after a life spent in the circus.
Mae Boon Lai’s story is unfortunately one that many elephants share in Thailand, a story of exploitation and mistreatment. It’s precisely why we began Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve in the first place, and why we invite people to join our Phuket Elephant Tours and Activities and support our efforts.
Learn more about Mae Boon Lai’s story below and how we went about rescuing her. If you have any questions as you read, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Mae Boon Lai’s Life as a Circus Animal
We first learned of Mae Boon Lai’s plight in late January 2025. She was a riding and circus elephant working in Chonburi, about 2 hours southeast of Bangkok.
Chonburi is the district that includes Pattaya and Jomtien and attracts significant numbers of tourists from within the region and day-trippers traveling from the capital, Bangkok. Mae Boon Lai was one of approximately 50-60 elephants working at a park that provided elephant rides and circus shows to endless busloads of predominantly Chinese tourists. She was forced to work over 12 hours a day in sweltering, humid conditions. After work, she would be led across the road and confined in a very short 1-meter chain, with no room to move. This was her life for years.
Mae Boon Lai’s owner was aging and developing health issues, making it impossible for him to care for her, leading him to reach out to PENR for advice. We immediately decided to travel to Chonburi to meet both the owner and Mae Boon Lai.
It was truly heartbreaking to see her plight and that of all the other elephants at this park. We decided we had to take action and set about rescuing Mae Boon Lai!
Elephant tourism is a major draw in Thailand, but it has resulted in a cruel and exploitative industry where elephants are held in captivity and abused. You can learn more about Ethical Elephant Tourism in Thailand and whether you should Ride Elephants in Thailand with our blogs.
Our Rescue Mission
The first step was to talk to the owner to negotiate Mae Boon Lai’s rescue and learn more about her history and health, among other details. We were informed that Mae Boon Lai had worked with this owner for 10 years in the elephant riding and circus industry. Next, we called in veterinary experts for a full health examination and blood tests. Tuberculosis (TB) is a crucial infectious disease that poses a threat to both humans and animals, so it needed to be checked carefully.
Thankfully, Mae Boon Lai received a clean bill of health, allowing us to proceed with her rescue. After gathering all the necessary paperwork and permits for her journey, the next step was to organize transportation. For Mae Boon Lai, a good-sized truck was required. We loaded the truck with plenty of food supplies, including pineapple leaves, bananas, papaya, and durian, along with ample water for her to drink.
Once prepared, we waited until the end of the day when the temperatures cooled down and there was less traffic, as this was the best time for her transport to Phuket. Two staff members from PENR accompanied her and set off around 4 PM for the long 16-hour journey to Phuket.
She arrived in Phuket around 9 AM the following morning. As is customary when we rescue an elephant, our sanctuary buzzed with excitement and curiosity for the new addition to our elephant family!
Mae Boon Lai’s New Beginning at Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve
Today, Mae Boon Lai is embracing her freedom — rolling in the mud, exploring nature, and rediscovering the joys of just being an elephant. She is the fifth addition to our beautiful elephant family and our largest elephant to date, weighing close to 4,000 kg.
Mae Boon Lai was born around 1990 and was approximately 35 years old at the time of her rescue. The name Mae Boon Lai (แม่บุญหลาย) in Thai can be translated to “Mother of Many Blessings” or “A Mother with Great Merit.” Mae (แม่) means “mother,” Boon (บุญ) refers to “merit” or “blessings,” often associated with good karma and virtue, and Lai (หลาย) means “many” or “numerous.” Thus, Mae Boon Lai’s name symbolizes a nurturing, blessed, and fortunate mother figure.
Under our care, she now not only has the ability to roam naturally amid our 30 rai of lush forest, but she’ll receive proper nutrition and veterinary care and enjoy the companionship of her fellow elephants, Lotus, Bow, Thonglor, and Nong Tang.
As an accredited sanctuary, Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve is raising the standards for animal welfare in Thailand. To learn more, read our guide which unpacks What is an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary.
Support Our Efforts to Rescue More Elephants in Thailand
Without the support of our visitors and donors, we would not have been able to give Mae Boon Lai a new lease on life. Through our Phuket Elephant Tours and Activities, you’ll get to learn more about our efforts, meet our elephants, and even take a walk with them in the jungle. We are a 100% hands-off sanctuary, meaning you can only observe our elephants from a distance and allow them to live natural lives.
If you are not able to visit us any time soon but would still like to contribute to our efforts, you can still Meet Our Rescued Elephants virtually and sponsor their care. Our elephants eat up to 180 kilograms of food daily which is a lot of food! By sponsoring them, you will be directly helping us to buy a variety of grasses, a selection of their favourite fruits including bananas, and nutrient-rich rice ball supplements, which will keep them happy, healthy and strong.
Should you have any questions about our sanctuary or our activities, don’t hesitate to contact us.
