Mae Sroy: The Buffalo Who Ran for Her Life

Updated on January 8, 2026
by scott

A Story of Courage, Motherhood, and Survival

Twenty-five years ago, there was a news story about a buffalo who ran for her life from a slaughterhouse near Chang Klan Road in Chiang Mai. She bolted down the Superhighway, covered in blood, with a deep wound around her neck. Local radio stations warned everyone to stay alert — saying the buffalo had “gone mad” and was crashing into cars along the road. Some reporters even called her a “possessed buffalo,” and urged the public to be extremely cautious.

We rushed to the scene and found her drenched in blood, with a bullet graze across her forehead — luckily, it hadn’t penetrated her skull. We volunteered to help her, refusing to send her back to the slaughterhouse, even as many gathered to demand compensation for their damaged cars and insisted she be killed.

Thanks to the help of Khun Chaipin Khattiya, a senior reporter from Thai Rath, we were able to negotiate her release. We paid a considerable amount to buy her freedom.

The next morning, at her new home, she gave birth to a baby boy. We named her Mae Sroy because of the scar around her neck, and her son, Chokdee, which means Lucky.

Mae Sroy and her son have lived happily among the buffalo herd at Save Elephant Foundation ever since.

Buffaloes typically live around 26–27 years, and now she is very old. Grandma Mae Sroy can no longer walk with the herd, and her son has become the leader. Because she is too weak to swim across the river each day, we moved her closer to our shelter so we could care for her more closely. She can only eat soft food that’s finely ground, as her teeth are no longer strong.

During the recent floods, the area where she lived — though on higher ground — was hit by flash floods that swept over the barriers, destroying everything, including Mae Sroy’s shelter. She was gone. We searched everywhere, hearts heavy with the thought that our beloved old buffalo could not have survived the raging waters.

But a miracle happened.

On the third morning, we found her lying in the mud where her shelter once stood — she had come home. She called out to us, and we cried tears of joy. From deep sorrow came a smile once more. I ran to hug her, and she responded with happy grunts, full of life and relief. Mae Sroy had survived — a buffalo with nine lives.

This is the story of one life we saved. Every animal here has a name, a story, and a soul. They are not just buffaloes — they are living beings with value and meaning.

Mae Sroy once ran from death to protect the life growing inside her. And today, she has once again run from death to protect her own. She is a true survivor, and we will care for Grandma Mae Sroy with all our hearts for the rest of her days.