After being treated at FAE's Elephant Hospital, an elephant is returned to its owner and transported back to Chiang Mai. (Photo by Michael Wysocki).
By Michael Wysocki
Everywhere I go I am so fascinated and curious, like there’s more to these Elephants than I realized. I have only been here a few days and I have seen five Elephants come or go. Where are they coming from? Where do they go?
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Soraida Salwala visits Baby Mosha, an elephant landmine survivor, at FAE's Elephant Hospital.
Below is Part 2 of the two-part article, originally written in 1993 by Sean Whyte. (Read Part 1 here):
“Soraida, I think it’s a wonderful idea. We both know it won’t be easy but if anyone can get this hospital built, I’m certain you are that person. Please keep me informed of your progress and let me know how I might be able to help you,” I said. Soon after this I had to return to England but not before making one last visit to Honey.
This time there was clearly some action being taken at last. Zoo vets were now on the scene and beginning to try and ease this gentle baby’s suffering. There was even a barrier erected to keep back the growing numbers of onlookers and sympathizers. Easing my way through the crowd I told the officials, now busying themselves around Honey, that I had come to say goodbye to the baby elephant. Lying down beside Honey one last time, I kissed her trunk and whispered to her a few words of comfort. On the long flight back to England that night I could not sleep. All I could do was think of Honey and bring the image of her vividly to mind. I vowed then I would do all that I could to help both Soraida and Honey.
The days passed and soon turned into weeks. Reports from Thailand told of a great increased effort to help Honey. She was now being cared for day and night by zoo vets and officials. (Learned later that all wages and expenses were paid by FAE & Soraida herself).
A harness had even been made and secured to raise her off the ground without inflicting further strain on her fractured pelvis. This enabled the vets to treat her worsening bedsores.
Then one day came the dreaded message from a distressed Soraida, “Honey has died.” After three months Honey could hold out no longer, her weakened body simply unable to cope with the massive injury she had sustained.
That was 1993, a life changing [year] for Soraida. If she was strong and determined before Honey’s death, she was UNSTOPPABLE now. Leaving her family jewelry business, with the help of Dr. Preecha Phuangkum, a vet with government sector Soraida established the FRIENDS OF THE ASIAN ELEPHANT foundation just a few months before Honey’s accident.
Her love of elephants had begun more than thirty years earlier. Traveling with her family, as a child of eight years in the northeast of the country, they happened upon an elephant lying beside the road. They discovered that a lorry had struck this enormous pachyderm. Getting back into the car, her father explained that nothing could be done to help this poor animal. “We should take him to the doctor Papa”, Soraida cried out. “How can we take him, my dear, he is very big?” As they drove by a gunshot was heard and her father explained, “Uncle elephant is in heaven now, my dear.”
A century ago up to 100,000 elephants worked in the logging and transport business. Poaching, deforestation and loss of habitat have reduced the domesticated population to less than 4,000, while the wild population has dropped to below 2,000.
The pace at which the forests are being cut down, mostly illegally, is such that their greedy owners treat many of the elephants very harshly. One particularly serious problem is that elephants are habitually fed bananas laced with drugs, to give them greater strength to haul giant logs way beyond the capability of any normal elephant.
Five years after first meeting Soraida I found myself standing in a fully-fledged elephant hospital on a hillside some 20 miles north of Lampang, Northern Thailand. I had known for a longtime that Soraida had fulfilled her dream of building the world’s first Elephant Hospital, but nothing quite prepared me for its impressive scale.
On the way from the airport to the hospital, Dr. Preecha Phuangkum, the hospital’s Chief Vet, began to explain the scale of the challenge facing them. To illustrate a point he stopped the car on a roadside. As far as the eye could see there was only green undergrowth and spindle looking trees “This was once virgin forest. I can remember well the great trees that once grew here. Everything you now see is secondary-growth bushes and trees,” said Dr. Preecha.
“Step out of the car for a moment. Listen, can ou hear a single bird singing?” Dr. Preecha invited me. I could not, the silence being broken only by large trucks rolling by, heading south in a cloud of dust, laden with logs and bamboo.
“Local people just don’t understand. No trees mean no wild fruits, which in turn results in no insects or birds-there is nothing for anything or anyone to survive on. All the wild animals have been hunted out, and besides there is nothing for them to eat. This place is now virtually dead, useless to everyone. This is what illegal logging does to our country.” Dr. Preecha went on. The story is much the same elsewhere in Asian with wildlife being crammed into ever smaller and fewer wild spaces.
Soraida met us at the hospital and, as I gazed around, I could barely believe my eyes. There, around me, were elephants being attended by their mahouts (men who care for and control the elephants). Solid looking, open sided structures provided shade for the recuperating elephants. We went to look at the veterinary clinic building, one I’m sure any western vet would be proud to work in. What was a dream five years earlier was now a fully functional hospital for elephants, a world first.
“We have so far treated over 400 cases [over 3,000 cases now from 1993-2011] free of charge-poor animals which otherwise would have gone on in pain, many to an early death,” Soraida explained.
“This makes me happy but there is so much more we need to do, the situation is desperate. Take Kammee there, a female elephant in her early fifties, she came to us with terrible injuries caused by the cruel treatment meted out by loggers; on top of this she had been regularly fed amphetamines to make her work longer hours, and now she is addicted to them.” Soraida told me.
There were three adults and one baby elephant in the hospital that day. Looking into their eyes, it was difficult not to imagine the fear, pain and suffering they had gone through. SORAIDA walked up to each one offering reassuring words in a tone of voice that the elephants appeared to recognize as coming from someone who does not intend to hurt them. Even so, a mahout was ever watchful to ensure my presence, as a stranger, did not worry his charge. Treating elephants can be difficult at the best of times and, a frightened elephant in pain takes a good deal more skill and courage than most people could muster.
Dr. Preecha, a seasoned elephant vet works closely with Soraida. Together they have faced up to angry elephants, suspicious mahouts, illegal loggers, intimidation, and jealousy from the most unsuspecting quarters. Soraida has also been on the receiving end of death threats.
In her forties, [now fifties], Soraida needs a stick [now two walking sticks and a walker] to help her stand and walk. She is not a well person, yet she has an enormous inner strength and outer calmness, which belies her poor health. Various internal problems have resulted in Soraida spending time in hospital for operations and yet, this too, is pounced upon by her critics who claim her illnesses as nothing more than a publicity stunt to draw attention to herself.
“We try to work with people who own elephants, it’s the only way. If we didn’t they would not let us treat their animals. Sometimes though, to protect elephants we have to make strong statements to the public. Attitudes need to change or else there will be no elephants left in Thailand,” Soraida said.
One such time, which brought forth considerable personal abuse upon Soraida, is the use of elephants for begging in the streets of Bangkok.
Visitors to Bangkok are likely to see one or more of the estimated 80 elephants paraded through the hot, dirty, noisy streets. These gentle giants, the symbol of Thailand, have been reduced to begging for their food. Two mahouts, one walking alongside clutching a bag full of vegetables, parade their elephant in and out of the traffic plying their trade–selling vegetables to passers-by to feed the elephant.
With depressing regularity newspaper carry reports of elephants being struck by vehicles.
Soraida and her organization were successful in getting this practice outlawed, but enforcement has proved next to impossible. It did, however, make her a lot of new enemies.
In August 1999, a Thai elephant from across the border in Burma had stepped on a landmine, and one foot had been blown apart. Soraida recalls the fateful night when the news first reached her, “The fact is “Motala came without notice. She came on a truck at 9.30 p.m., the night of 18th August. Dr. Preecha was away in the south and I was in Bangkok when a member of staff called me, pouring out words I could not understand. I asked to talk to the mahout, but he too, was in a state of shock. I asked him to calm down, take a deep breath and slowly tell me what the wounds are like, is she bleeding profusely, and so on? I was shocked but beyond that, Motala had to be given antibiotics, painkillers, etc. I asked him to call the nearest livestock research centre and sent another staff to drive the car and pick up the vet. The vet came and talked to Dr. Preecha on the phone. He had never treated elephant before in his life, but his kindness was beyond any fear, he did everything Dr. Preecha instructed him to do for the next 3 days before Dr. Preecha could finally get back to FAE Elephant Hospital. When Dr. Preecha first saw Motala, he called me and told me this, “Khun So, please come, you’ve got to be here”.
I grabbed my handbag, my personal medicine bag and took a taxi to the airport. When I arrived at FAE in Lampang, we began to hurriedly plan and make arrangements for Motala’s treatment.
News of Motala’s plight quickly spread. Without prompt veterinary help she was destined to die an excruciatingly painful death. Soon the hospital was swamped with media crews and well wishers. The story of Motala was beamed around the world but its great impact was in Thailand. Funds flowed in to pay for the operation Motala needed, nearly 100,000 pounds was raised-in Thailand; a remarkable change of heart since the death of Honey. Even more remarkable was the sight of some 30 doctors, vets and nurses, working as a team to restore Motala’s shattered front left foot. Evidence, if ever it was needed, of the effectiveness of Soraida Salwala. Without her dream of the hospital, this could never have happened and Motala would most likely have been shot or euthanized.
Motala has been fitted with the prosthetic leg, new one is being made. She was donated to FAE a few days after her arrival at FAE. Former owner of Motala and his neighbors keep telling their friends and those who own elephants “There’s a hospital for elephants, I’ve been there. My elephant was saved.”
Kammee had been since been bought from her owner, but not without some tough negotiating on both sides. She was at FAE for over 5 years and had to be put down in 2002 when she collapsed, blind and could no longer stand.
As more forests are cut down there is less and less habitat for wild elephants. With fewer logs to sell, the loggers no longer need as many elephants. In a very short space of time there will be an enormous surplus of these giants. Unable, or unwilling to look after their elephants, mahouts will then need to find new homes for them. The prospects for these elephants look very bleak.
Soraida wants to buy land to provide a safe home where retired, crippled, injured bulls (always more difficult to handle) can live out their lives in peace. It’s the LAST HOME PROJECT, Soraida calls it, where unwanted elephants will have a decent life until the last day of their lives.
Until now [2011] with few resources and work load, her dream has not come true but she is pleased to learn that many sanctuaries in other countries and in Thailand have been opened, clearly based on what Soraida and her foundation have wished for since 1993.
“There is no one single, simple answer to Thailand’s elephant problems. We do our best and things have certainly got better for elephants, but we know we are up against a tremendous problem. God willing, I will devote my every waking hour to helping our elephants,” said Soraida.
“I have received many anonymous phone calls, death threats, king cobras found at the hospital, and many accidents on the roads causing injuries, but despite everything, I shall not waiver”.
Honey, who died in agony, is waiting for me. I am sure she knows I shall keep the promise I made to her before she died “Mother will help your friends, close your eyes and sleep well, my baby, no one can harm you now!”
An Immense thank you to Mr. Sean Whyte
Soraida Salwala
29 January, 2011
Left to Right: Suzanne Roland, Patty Coogan, Anne Snowball, Soraida Salwala, Dr. Kay, Dr. Preecha, Jodi Frediani, director/producer Windy Borman.
Today I completed the 5-day film shoot at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital. It has been an emotional week and I decided to wrap the day interviewing Soriada Salwala (FAE’s founder) and Dr. Preecha.
The quest of a documentary film shoot is to be at the right place at the right time to record the events as they happen in real time. Some of it is based on intuition, the rest is luck. U.S. daytime talk show host/extraordinaire Oprah Winfrey says, Luck is 90% Preparation and 10% Opportunity. However you define Luck, I definitely had some of it today. For example, when I interviewed Dr. Preecha, Mosha’s pen was behind him and Motala was off to his right. When he said, “The main goal for an elephant’s prosthesis is not walking, but taking some of the weight off of the elephant’s other three legs” and then began to explain the difference between Mosha’s and Motala’s prostheses, Mosha, as if on cue and wearing her prosthesis, walked into the background of the shot and stopped when she was perfectly framed.
Next, after Soraida visited Boonmee–who is doing much better, by the way, but still not in the clear–she walked to the foreground of the frame to wash her hands. With water and soap suds running down her hands she looked at me behind the camera and said, We need to remove these landmines from the ground. As she launched into the cowardice of countries who spend more money on weapons than landmine removal, Boonmee turned and limped toward Soraida also stopping within her frame so she wouldn’t miss a word Soraida said.
Intuition. Luck. Preparation. Opportunity. However you slice it, it was pretty cool to be in the creative groove to film these moments today–and it was a great way to wrap the shoot.
Tomorrow I’m off to Laos for the Youth Leaders Forum for the Cluster Munitions Convention. Next time I write, I’ll be in Vientiane!
Best,
Windy Borman
Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand
Soraida encourages Motala, a 49-year old elephant landmine survivor, to put her weight on her prosthesis at FAE's Elephant Hospital.
Today the Prostheses Foundation returned with the new “tester” prosthesis for Motala. Initially it looked like the shank of the limb was too short because Motala was swinging her leg without putting any weight on it. After Soraida Salwala (FAE’s Founder) spoke to her, she began to relax her elbow and put some weight on the prosthesis. The leg was then long enough to reach the ground, so it appears she was avoiding it because it was uncomfortable.
As Dr. Preecha said, “If she was a person we could ask, ‘How does that feel?’ But she’s not, so we have to watch her behavior. If she was in pain, she wouldn’t move at all; but this shows us that the prosthesis is just uncomfortable”. Soraida believes that the leg could still be inflamed and the “tester” is too tight. So, the prosthesis is on its way back to Chiang Mai for more adjustments…
Dr. Kay cleans Boonmee's wound at FAE. Boonmee stepped on a landmine on September 11, 2010.
In other news, yesterday we saw a huge improvement in Boonmee. While her wound looked better, by the end of the day her trunk was too weak to pick up her bananas to feed herself. Soraida tearfully explained that she has seen this before and is very worried that Boonmee may simply give up and decide to pass away. Dr. Preecha explained that last month Mae Ka Pae’s leg looked as bad as Boonmee’s does now, so if she can stay alive, he’s optimistic her leg will heal, too. As we left for the evening, Soraida said, “I’m hoping for a miracle”.
I drove back to Chiang Mai with mixed emotions. On the one hand, Boonmee can decide whether she wants to fight and continue to live, or she can decide it’s too much and pass on. As humans, we like to think we have control over everything—the environment, other beings, our lives—but that argument is thrown out for me in light of these elephant landmine tragedies. They didn’t decide to step on a landmine. Boonmee, Motala, Mosha and Mae Ka Pae were in the forests because of human greed and the landmines were in the ground because of human fear and ego. They didn’t ask to be mutilated, we [humans] did this. So perhaps the most humane choice we can give them is whether they want to stay and fight or, as the Buddhist believe, leave and come back with a different life circumstance.
It will be interesting to see what Boonmee decides tonight…
-Windy Borman
Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand
A tear drips down Boonmee's cheek.
Mosha, an elephant landmine survivor, with her mahout John at FAE's Elephant Hospital.
Going back to the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital was quite an emotional experience. Mosha (age 4) has grown a least a foot (no pun intended) taller since I saw her last August, but is still as playful as ever. She was very curious to sniff the new volunteers and was walking around on her temporary prostheses. She’s growing so fast the Prostheses Foundation is going to have to make her another soon!
Motala (age 49), on the other hand, is wearing her protective white bag over her stump again because her updated prostheses was irritating the sensitive skin on her stump. Thankfully, the Prostheses Foundation is coming back tomorrow to build her a new prostheses. Stay tuned for pictures!
Mae Ka Pae soaking her hind leg in an antiseptic bath at FAE's Elephant Hospital.
Seeing Boonmee and Mae Ka Pae, the newest landmine survivors at FAE, was very hard. Mae Ka Pae, (age 22), who injured her hind leg after stepping on a landmine along the Thai-Myanmar border in August, is able to walk slightly better than when she first arrived at FAE. It’s still painful to watch her limp, but Dr. Preecha says her wound is healing well enough that they don’t think they’ll need to amputate her leg.
Boonmee prepares to soak her front foot in an antiseptic bath at FAE's Elephant Hospital.
Boonmee (age 10) is another story. Her front leg looks like an exploded flower and is not healing well, but Soraida Salwala, FAE’s founder, is more concerned about her depression. This is the first time Boonmee has been separated from her mother and, on top of that, her mahout (owner) ran away and deserted her at FAE a month ago. Elephants are such emotional and social animals that this heartache can cause them to die from the loss.
Anne Snowball and Patty Coogan do Craniosacral therapy on Boonmee.
When we first saw her, Boonmee’s eyes were totally glassed over. Then, Jodi Frediani, Anne Snowball and Patty Coogan (three of the volunteers traveling with me) began using their T-Touch and Craniosacral therapy on Boonmee and she began to weep, letting go of some of her emotional and physical trauma. She began to open up and soon was allowing Jodi, Anne and Patty to peel and feed her bananas. It was amazing to see this shift and her willingness to connect with us.
John, Mosha's mahout, practices T-Touches on Jodi Frediani's arm.
Later in the afternoon, Jodi, Anne, and Patty explained T-Touch and taught Dr. Kay and two of FAE’s mahouts (John and Somchai) three T-Touches, while Soraida translated. The staff at FAE were very receptive and picked up the touches quickly.
Jodi and Anne walk with Mosha.
Then all six went down and tried the T-Touches on Motala and Mosha. After some initial confusion on the parts of the elephants, they liked it enough that each started presenting areas to be worked on. Motala even presented her amputated leg for the women to work on and remove some of the pain from her stump!
Motala, a 49-year old elephant landmine survivor, presents her amputated leg for TTouch.
It was quite an experience to be back and witness another dimension of the healing and growth at FAE–and this is only the beginning! We’re here for four more days, so stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Windy Borman
Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand
August 5, 2010–Yesterday I shared that Mae Ka Pae, a 22-year old elephant, who stepped on a landmine along the Thai-Burma border, arrived at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital in Lampang, Thailand. Below is an update from the Associate Press:
Vets treat elephant land mine victim in Thailand(AP) – 10 hours ago
LAMPANG, Thailand — Veterinarians were treating the latest land mine victim from the Thai-Myanmar border Thursday, a 22-year-old female elephant whose foot was severely wounded by the explosion.
Mae Ka Pae, as she is called, is the 13th mine casualty to be treated at the innovative Friends of Asian Elephant hospital near this city in northern Thailand since it began operating in 1993. She arrived at the facility Wednesday evening, a week after the accident, which shredded the sole of her left rear foot.
“We have to monitor her condition for 48 hours now that we cleaned the wound and injected pain killers. We will give her a tetanus shot later today. Overall, she is a good condition. She is obedient and can eat normally,” said Dr. Preecha Phuangkam, a veterinarian and the hospital director.
The elephant was injured at the frontier, which is strewn with land mines from fighting between the Myanmar government and ethnic minority rebels. Preecha said her handlers might have let her wander to the less-developed Myanmar side of the border to find food.
She joins two other elephants, Motala and Mosha, who remain hospitalized but have recovered well enough to wear prosthetic legs. Mosha became the world’s first elephant with an artificial leg, attached in 2007.
Traditionally the truck, taxi and logging worker of Thailand, the elephant has lost most of its jobs to modernization. However, the tourism industry still employs large numbers of elephants for trekking and other activities. Some, including a number along the Myanmar border, are still used in illegal logging operations.
The question people keep asking me is: Don’t we have the technology to detect and remove landmines?
To answer simply, Yes, we do have the technology to detect and safely remove landmines; but human Ego keeps countries from making the right choice and protecting their own people and wildlife from these hidden killers.
To date, 37 countries have still refused to sign the Mine Ban Treaty, which requires signatories to de-mine their country and destroy their landmine stockpiles. Myanmar (Burma) is one of the countries who’ve refused to sign the treaty, the United States is another. To view the full list click here.
We cannot let animals and humans suffer because of landmines. We need a film that can crack our collective consciousness and demand all nations sign and enforce the Mine Ban Treaty!
I firmly believe that The Eyes of Thailand is just the film to do this and we can make this dream a reality with your help! You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to the film through our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, so that we can edit and distribute the The Eyes of Thailand in 2011. Click here to donate.
Thank you for your continued support. Together we can tell the world about the plight of the Asian Elephants and the on-going threat of landmines!
Sincerely,
Windy Borman
Director & Producer, The Eyes of Thailand
“The Eyes of Thailand” is the inspirational story of one woman’s quest to help two elephant landmine survivors–Motala and Baby Mosha–walk on their own four legs. Treating their wounds was only part of the journey; building elephant-sized prostheses was another. Directed and Produced by Windy Borman. Produced by Tim VandeSteeg.
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In addition to building prosthetic limbs for elephants (like Mosha and Motala) that step on landmines, the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital also treats elephants for everything from illness to injuries.
Elephant Kamnoi pets Baby "Dante" at FAE.
On February 18, 2010 we announced that Soraida Salwala, Founder of the FAE Elephant Hospital and featured in the elephant conservation documentary, The Eyes of Thailand, shared the successful birth of a new baby elephant on February 15. One day later, Kamnoi and her healthy baby boy, whom they’ve since named Dante, arrived at FAE. To read the blog post, click here.
Baby Elephant Dante attempts to nurse at FAE's Elephant Hospital.
I am happy to report that Kamnoi and Dante are continuing to bond, although he sometimes needs to get a boost to reach his mother to nurse!
Baby Dante gets a boost from FAE staff to nurse.
Dr. Preecha and the staff at FAE are also supplementing his mother’s milk with goat’s milk. Soriada wrote to explain:
Mother of Baby “Dante” does not have enough milk. She is feeding him but the milk is not enough. So, when he is still hungry, we feed him with goat milk.
Kamnoi watches as Dr. Preecha feeds Baby Dante at FAE.
Please send good thoughts for Dante to continue to grow to Soraida and her staff at FAE’s Elephant Hospital. We’ll send updates as they come!
Sincerely,
Windy Borman
Director, Producer and Writer, The Eyes of Thailand
Dr. Preecha feeds Baby Dante at FAE.
In addition to building prosthetic limbs for elephants (like Mosha and Motala) that step on landmines, the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital also treats elephants for everything from illness to injuries.
On February 15, 2010, Soraida Salwala, Founder of the FAE Elephant Hospital and featured in the elephant conservation documentary, The Eyes of Thailand, announced the successful birth of a new baby elephant:
A new baby was born at Mae Ping Camp in Chiang Mai last night. The baby weighs only 30 k.m. (same as Tiny). Dr. Preecha reached Pung Noi and her baby before noon. Preparation to transport both the mother and her male baby is being carefully carried out.
On February 16, 2010, Pung Kamnoi and her healthy baby boy arrived at FAE:
Dr. Preecha says the baby looks good. We have the soy milk ready in case his mother is not ready to feed him.
The first photos of the happy mother and baby appear below.
Kamnoi arrives at FAE by truck.
The staff at FAE encourage the wobbly newborn elephant to walk off the truck.
Kamnoi and her healthy baby boy.
Kamnoi and Baby Boy.
We are happy to see Kamnoi and her baby bonding and will share more news and photos as we get them. Please stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Windy Borman
Producer, Director and Writer, The Eyes of Thailand
P.S. The Eyes of Thailand is currently fundraising to edit and distribute the film so we can tell the world about the plight of the Asian Elephants and share the great work that Soraida and her staff do at FAE. To make a tax-deductible donation to the film, please visit our website and click “Donate Now“. It will take you to the secure online donation page for our fiscal sponsor, The San Francisco Film Society. Thank you!
FAE's Mobile Vets visit an Elephant camp in Thailand
In addition to providing comprehensive veterinary care at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital in Lampang, Thailand, FAE also offers a Mobile Vet Clinic for elephant owners and camps that cannot afford to bring their elephants to Soraida Salwala (the Founder), and the vets, Dr. Preecha and Dr. Kay.
Dr. Kay treats a patient during her Mobile Vet visit.
While one of FAE’s goals is to recognize working elephants under the Endangered Species Act in Thailand–currently elephants in captivity are considered livestock and not an “endangered species”, even if they were originally caught in the wild–FAE’s overwhelming concern is to treat and protect every elephant from illness, abuse and neglect.
Dr. Kay with Boonthong and her baby
On January 10, 2010, Dr. Kay (in the green) visited this elephant camp and treated work elephants at an Elephant Camp.
