A Reunion in the Forest

In the jungles of Northern Thailand there are several mountain ranges to explore.   Zuki and his mother – Mae Bua Jaan – were lived at a trekking camp.  At two years old, Zuki had just gone through the horrible training practice called the pajaan and had no idea who – or what – he was.  Shortly after Zuki had finished the pajaan, he were rescued from preforming in the tourist entertainment industry along with is mother.  They were brought to the Save Elephant Foundation’s Journey to Freedom project to be in the jungle.

The day that they walked from their home to the project, they paused several times along the way as they took their time and grazed on some grass.  This became a regular pattern, but Zuki was having a hard time walking down some of these steep hills, due to his injured shoulder, so it was nice for him to take some breaks while Bua Jaan ate a snack.  Along with the shoulder or leg injury Zuki had, he also had some surface injuries around his ankles and on his trunk from the training process. As the two reached the end of the road, there was a surprise waiting for them!

It was their herd.  Their family.

Bua Jaan’s other son – and Zuki’s brother – Erawan was there to welcome Zuki home.  This was an incredible thing to witness.  Although Zuki was having a hard time. A lot of the attention from the other nannies was on his mom.  Then Zuki’s brother, Erawan, fully embraced him as his brother and stayed by his side.

Today, Zuki and his brother and the rest of the herd are still trying to find their balance, however it is clear that they all care deeply for each other.  Erawan and Ma Bow spend time with Zuki away from the mom and other nannies being kids.  Zuki’s physical wounds can be healed with the help of the Save Elephant Foundation vets , but it will take longer for the state of his psychological trauma to heal, because after the pajaan the elephants lose trust in humans but they can also lose trust in other elephants – even their mothers – and it could take months or years for them to fully recover.

However, Zuki begins his rehabilitation on a positive note by the way that he has started to bond with the herd.  We hope Zuki will make a full recovery in the future.