Nam Chok – นำโชค
Arrival date: September 2023
Arrival age: 50+
Rescue location: Pattaya
History: Nam Chok is suspected to have been caught from the wild, and has been in captivity for decades ever since. She worked at a trekking camp in Pattaya for 6 years before her rescue. She spent her days chained to a concrete platform waiting to give rides to tourists. Her owner contacted us because she became very slow and could no longer keep up with the other elephants. Her front legs are very stiff from years of carrying people and a heavy chair on her back.
Characteristics: Nam Chok is a small, slim elephant with an easygoing nature. She is partially blind is one eye and is easy to recognise by her left eye, which bulges out due to an old bull hook injury. She has also lost almost all the teeth.
Nam Chok enjoys spending time in the water and stripping trees of their leaves, even if she doesn’t intend to eat them.
Nam Chok’s Rescue
Nam Chok
March 2016
She is here!!! Nam Fon Returns to WFFT
We have decided to transport Nam Fon the Asian elephant (elephas maximus) to WFFT but are still raising funds to permanently secure her future at the WFFT Elephant Refuge. Thank you for all the supporters [...]
November 2015
Choke Dee arrives at the WFFT Elephant Refuge
On Tuesday a team of staff and volunteers went to rescue Choke Dee, a 50-year-old elephant that has spent the last decades of her life giving rides to tourists every day at an elephant camp. [...]
Happy 1st Birthday Princess!!!
Today we celebrated baby Princesses (Pin's) 1st birthday with a festivity of balloons, mountains of fresh fruit and an expertly carved bamboo birthday cake. Pin, her mother Pun and her two ever attentive aunties; Kaew [...]
October 2015
Who is Edwin Wiek?
Founder WFFT Edwin Wiek is Dutch-born and moved to Asia in 1989. After setting up his fashion business from 1989 he had a car accident in 1999, after which he decided to make his childhood [...]
WFFT Elephant Herd Update
Baby Pin and mum Pun are spending more and more time in the grassland areas of the WFFT Elephant Refuge with some of the other adult female elephants. Pin is particularly excited about the presence [...]
September 2015
Elephants Big Day Out
Yesterday baby Pin, along with Mum Pun, were introduced to some of our other adult female elephants with the aim of creating a new family for Pin. Dao Rueng, Boon Chuey, Kaew Petch and our [...]
97% and counting!
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August 2015
Thailand destroys confiscated ivory
On Wednesday the 26th of August Thailand burned its confiscated ivory, that mostly originated from African elephants killed for this ivory in the last few years. This move by the authorities was a first positive [...]
Khan Kluey and Somboon move!
A safe haven for Khan Kluey. Little boys get big they say when a child grows up… But for Khan Kloey, the only bull elephant at WFFT this surely is more than true. He is [...]
July 2015
Arrival of Princess and her mother Apple
On Friday, July 24th staff and volunteers at WFFT welcomed Apple and Princess! Mother and daughter were rescued after a very generous donation by Joan and her friends (again!). We were informed by an elephant [...]
Wild elephants found dead at Pala-U forest
A sad sight at Kaeng Krachan again - July 15th, 2015 - Three wild elephants were found dead on grassland bordering Kaeng Krachan National Park’s Pala-U area. The three elephants were found lying down next [...]
June 2015
Bull elephant enclosure almost finished at WFFT
A first in Indo-china! It will be only a few days until we finalise the bull elephant enclosure at WFFT in Thailand! After 5 months of construction Khan Kluey can soon move in with Somboon [...]
This is one lucky elephant – Jele
Lucky the elephant arrived at WFFT’s Elephant Refuge late last night. A full assessment of her health is currently underway including blood samples, which have already been taken today.
The Elephant Lake
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Rith is released back to the wild!!!
After 6 weeks of treatment a wild elephant is send back to the jungle, her family.
May 2015
Rescue of Rung Thip the elephant!
The WFFT elephant refuge today welcomed another member to it’s family “Rung Thip”. Rung Thip is a 55 year old elephant that has worked in the Thai elephant tourist trade for the last 25 years [...]
November 2014
Welcome to La Ong Dao! 30 years of service of tourists and now retired!
Our November 2014 elephant rescue is about “La Ong Dao”, a 55 year old elephant that was rescued from an elephant camp in Pattaya, Thailand. La Ong Dao has worked in tourism for the last [...]
July 2014
Elephant rescue: Welcome to Dao Rueng! When the paths of two individuals of two different species cross….
Imagine this: You are an elephant working in the tourism industry for over 30 years, you have a bad leg, you are getting old and tired. Your owner however needs you for his income, his [...]
June 2014
Rescued elephants socialising into a herd at WFFT elephant refuge
First steps into the new project!. Finally! The elephants are starting to live together on the newly built “wild elephant enclosure” on our project 4 site. 7 of our elephants are selected to start a [...]
May 2014
Boon Chuey settling in at WFFT
Remember “Boon Chuey”, the elephant that was rescued 10 days ago from the elephant camp in Pattaya? (see photo). Well, Boon Chuey is doing well at WFFT now, after a long trip on the back [...]
Boon Chuey retires from tourism
To the rescue and retirement of a gentle giant. Boon Chuey is just over 50 years old and has ben working on the streets of Thailand and tourist elephant camps for several years. Yesterday was [...]
April 2014
Elephant rescue and treatment program
WFFT spreads it’s wings into elephant parks. The mobile wildlife rescue team has started a new program to treat elephants around Thailand on the street and at tourist elephant camps on a frequent bases. Although [...]
Kaew Petch, new member of Thai Elephant Refuge
‘Kaew Petch’ meaning ‘Diamond Glass’ was rescued in the early days of April 2014 from a tourism elephant camp in Pattaya where she was being exploited as a trekking elephant. The 50 year old female [...]
March 2014
More space for elephants at WFFT
Land that once was their forest became pineapple fields. This will be now given back the elephants of Thailand! We have been fundraising for more land and to rescue more elephants, we are far from [...]
January 2014
Opening Ceremony WFFT Elephant Wild Enclosure
Elephants getting their own forest!. Our Elephant Wild Enclosure has been officially opened; 5 hectares of forest for some of our rescued elephants to freely roam in. The main donors from Australia; Joan Pearson & [...]
