Let us introduce the beautiful rescued elephants that call our elephant retirement park in Phuket home. Learn about their personalities, who they are, what they like, and where they came from.
The Thai elephant is the national animal of Thailand — and all of the gentle giants at our ethical elephant rescue park in Phuket belong to this native species. The elephants found in Thailand are the Indian elephant, a sub-species of the Asian elephant (Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran, and Bornean). However, Thai elephants have slight differences from other elephants of that sub-species; they are smaller, have shorter front legs, and thicker bodies.
There are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 elephants in Thailand and around half of these are domesticated. This domestication led to elephants becoming an endangered species in Thailand in 1986.
At Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve, we are proud to be at the forefront of elephant rescue in Phuket. We have rescued numerous elephants from situations of exploitation and cruelty. And because conservation is at the heart of our story, we have designed a range of elephant activities in Phuket around their health, safety, and well-being.
For even more peace of mind, we were awarded the prestigious title of Elephant Sanctuary of the Year 2023! All this means you can enjoy a meaningful, unforgettable experience with a clear conscience.
Keep scrolling down to meet our elephants! And if you have any questions before you visit our elephant rescue park in Phuket, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Lotus is named after the beautiful water lily and means ‘บัว’ or ‘Bua’ in Thai. She was the first elephant that we rescued during the Covid pandemic. Born in 1977, Lotus is female and the smallest of our three elephants. Because of this, we believe she is a smaller species of the Asian Elephant originating from the Thai Malay border.
In her life before transferring to our elephant retirement park in Phuket, Lotus was giving rides to tourists in the south of the island. However, during the pandemic, she was chained to a tree on a hillside at a riding camp and became severely underweight. Thankfully, we rescued Lotus and gave her all the love and care she needed.
Lotus loves to eat natural vegetation such as Napier grass, palm leaves, and banana trees, and she loves to find vines to eat in the forest. We also ensure she has nutrient-rich rice balls and sugarcane, her favourite treat. Today, she weighs a healthy 2,500kg.
Lotus loves spending time in our sanctuary’s natural ponds and covering herself in lovely wet mud! She also loves to throw grass and twigs onto her head, find long branches to scratch herself with, and fresh earth to dust herself down. She is also very playful, sometimes throwing around an old tyre or chasing chickens!
We love beautiful Lotus, she’s such a sweet, funny elephant and even though she’s the smallest of our three, she has the biggest personality!
Our elephants eat up to 180kg of food daily which is a lot of food! By sponsoring Lotus, you will be directly helping us to buy a variety of grasses, a selection of her favourite fruit including bananas, pumpkins, pineapple, watermelon, a rice ball supplement mix, and nutritional pellets which will keep her happy, healthy and strong.
Bow was born in 1981. She is a beautiful female elephant and the second we rescued from the same riding camp as Lotus. During the Covid pandemic, Bow was chained to a tree on a hillside for long periods, unable to walk and in desperate need of rescue.
Bow was underweight when we relocated her to our elephant rescue park in Phuket. But when safely back at our sanctuary, we implemented a nutritious diet with natural vegetation including nutrient-rich grasses, bananas, and vitamin rice balls; she’s now a healthy weight of 3,500kg!
Bow is a quieter elephant compared to Lotus and Thonglor. She walks slowly, has a calm but confident personality, is intelligent and serene, and definitely depicts the image of a ‘gentle giant’. Bow, like all our elephants, loves covering herself from trunk to tail in lovely thick mud. She also loves to head into the forest and devour palm leaves and juicy banana trees. Sometimes, you can only see her bottom in the thick foliage!
Our elephants eat up to 180kg of food daily which is a lot of food! By sponsoring Bow, you will be directly helping us to buy a variety of grasses, a selection of her favourite fruit including bananas, pumpkins, pineapple, watermelon, a rice ball supplement mix, and nutritional pellets which will keep her happy, healthy and strong.
Bow particularly loves to pull down and eat juicy banana trees so your kind support for Bow’s food supply will also help us plant banana trees around our reserve to ensure we have enough trees for Bow to eat!
We love Bow! She is such a beautiful elephant with a peaceful presence. To see Bow, Lotus, and Thonglor live their best lives shows the importance of elephant rescue in Phuket and why these extraordinary animals deserve a serene existence as nature intended.
Looking for more essential reading about Thai elephants? We think you’ll love reading PENR’s Complete Guide to Phuket’s Elephants when you have finished here.
Thonglor is the tallest and most elegant elephant at our elephant retirement park in Phuket. Born in 1978, she spent the majority of her life giving rides to tourists on our island. However, we rescued Thonglor from Buriram in Northeast Thailand during the pandemic. She was chained for long periods and severely underweight but is now safe with us and thankfully will never have to work again.
Thonglor only has three teeth left (elephants have 4 teeth (molars) and 6 sets during their lifetime). It is difficult for her to eat hard foods such as branches or sugarcane, so we ensure she has plenty of soft grasses, bananas, and nutrient-rich rice balls. She has slowly gained weight and has become a strong, healthy elephant.
Thonglor is stoic, friendly, and wise, loves walking around our reserve, and is our most active elephant. Perhaps after years with her legs in chains, she loves the freedom she has today. Thonglor loves the mud and often spends half an hour or more covering herself from trunk to tail until we only see a muddy brown elephant! We love Thonglor, as we do all our elephants, and it’s wonderful to see her making great progress and enjoying her life with us.
Our elephants eat up to 180kg of food daily which is a lot of food! By sponsoring Thonglor, you will be directly helping us to buy a variety of grasses, a selection of her favourite fruits including bananas, and nutrient-rich rice ball supplements, which will keep her happy, healthy and strong.
Are you lucky enough to be visiting our elephant rescue park in Phuket? You can join us for breakfast, lunch, or an early dinner at our large, covered Ban Chang Restaurant Phuket, which is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Our diverse menu has something for everyone!
Nong Tang (nickname Lucy) was born in 2016 and is the 4th addition to our beautiful elephant family. Nong means “younger sibling” and Tang means “sweet” At 7 years old at the time of rescuing, Nong Tang, is indeed the youngest of our beautiful rescued elephants and is most definitely a sweet and adorable elephant!
We found Nong Tang working in terrible conditions in Ratchaburi province, around 2 hours southwest of the capital, Bangkok. She worked in a sizable Thai-run amusement park that offered all types of attractions, including elephant riding, tiger encounters (with drugged tigers to make them docile), photos with monkeys, longtail boat trips, BB gun arcades, and much more. Poor Nong Tang was kept in a tiny enclosure near the entrance where her job was to look cute to entice tourists to spend money buying her bananas to eat and get permission to take photos with her. After a long day, she was taken out the back and chained up on a short 1m chain with the other elephants. It was a terrible life, and her previous owners had decided to sell her as she was no longer a super cute 3-4-year-old elephant and still too young to go into the elephant riding industry.
Once we heard about her plight, we had to act and do our best to save her before she was groomed into a life of misery and more abuse, carrying tourists around on her back. We visited and immediately fell in love with Nong Tang and set about rescuing Nong Tang.
Nong Tang is playful and loves to run around our sanctuary and explore the jungle. Her favourite activity is playing and splashing in our swimming ponds! We are so grateful to have Nong Tang at PENR, where she is loved by all the staff and, more importantly, by Thonglor and the other elephants.
Our elephants eat up to 180kg of food daily which is a lot of food! By sponsoring Thonglor, you will be directly helping us to buy a variety of grasses, a selection of her favourite fruits including bananas, and nutrient-rich rice ball supplements, which will keep her happy, healthy and strong.
Looking for more essential reading about Thai elephants? We think you’ll love reading PENR’s Complete Guide to Phuket’s Elephants when you have finished here.
On 10 February 2025, we welcomed Mae Boon Lai to Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve, marking the beginning of a new, free life for this incredible elephant. Estimated to be born around 1990, she is approximately 35 years old and the largest elephant at PENR, weighing close to 4,000 kg. Her name, Mae Boon Lai (แม่บุญหลาย), translates to “Mother of Many Blessings”—a fitting tribute to her strength and resilience.
Mae Boon Lai spent decades as a riding and circus elephant in Chonburi, about two hours southeast of Bangkok. Forced to perform long hours in scorching heat, she carried tourists on her back and entertained crowds in circus shows. After each grueling day, she was chained on a short 1-meter tether alongside other elephants, unable to move freely. Her life was one of exhaustion, routine, and confinement.
In early January 2025, her aging owner, unable to care for her any longer, reached out to us for help. Upon hearing her story, we knew we had to act. Our team traveled to Chonburi to meet both Mae Boon Lai and her owner, assess her condition, and begin planning her rescue.
Mae Boon Lai was one of 50-60 elephants working in the park, a place where tourists arrived by the busload to ride elephants and watch circus-style performances. Seeing her reality firsthand was heartbreaking, but it strengthened our resolve.
After speaking with her owner and securing her release, we brought in expert veterinarians for a full health examination. One of the biggest concerns was tuberculosis (TB), a serious disease that affects both elephants and humans. Thankfully, she was given a clean bill of health, clearing the way for her rescue.
With the necessary permits and paperwork in place, we carefully planned Mae Boon Lai’s transport. A large truck was prepared, stocked with pineapple leaves, bananas, papaya, and durian, as well as plenty of water for the long journey ahead.
To ensure a smooth and stress-free trip, we waited until the evening, when temperatures were cooler and traffic was lighter. At 4 PM, Mae Boon Lai began her 16-hour journey to Phuket, accompanied by two dedicated PENR team members.
At 9 AM the following morning, she finally arrived at Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve, stepping onto soft earth—free at last. After a refreshing welcome shower, she was introduced to her new home, where she was met with curiosity and excitement from her new elephant family.
Today, Mae Boon Lai is embracing her freedom—rolling in the mud, exploring nature, and rediscovering the joys of just being an elephant. Her story is a powerful reminder of why we fight for ethical tourism and why every elephant deserves a life of dignity and care.
Thank you to our supporters, visitors, and friends—without you, this rescue wouldn’t have been possible. Mae Boon Lai’s new life is because of you.
❤️ 🐘
Welcome home, Mae Boon Lai.