The Passing of Gentle Senior Elephant Yai Boon
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by
scott
In June 2019, Save Elephant Foundation was contacted by the owner of an elderly elephant named Yai Boon, who had been working for years in an elephant riding camp in Pattaya. The owner asked for our help to bring her for treatment and care, as she was very old and her health was deeply concerning. Yai Boon had collapsed several times each month, prompting the owner to urgently request that she be removed from the camp. Without help, she might not have survived much longer.
We rescue every elephant with the hope of healing and transformation, even in a condition as poor as the one in which we found Yai Boon. The day we first met her, she was extremely emaciated, dehydrated, and severely weak, with little energy even to walk. It took the veterinary team several days of intensive care to strengthen her enough to be safely moved. After a long and difficult journey, Yai Boon arrived at her new sanctuary home on 20 July 2019. We helped her with hope, hoping that Grandma Boon would be able to stay with us for a long time. Yet, given her fragile condition and her age in her 70s, every morning we woke with fear, worried that she might fall asleep and never wake again. Her health was so poor that we believed she had very little time left.
But Yai Boon gave us a miracle. Her fragile body slowly regained strength, and with nutritious food and devoted care, her health—both physical and mental—improved dramatically over time. She went on to live happily among her fellow elderly elephants.
When Yai Boon first arrived, we took her to visit Yai Bua, as these two senior elephants had known each other from working together at the trekking camp in Pattaya. At the time, Yai Bua could no longer walk long distances, so we also introduced Yai Boon to other members of our herd, allowing them to visit her daily as her strength gradually returned. In time, Yai Boon showed particular interest in Di Por, one of our older loner elephants rescued in December 2015. Di Por is a lame elephant who was injured during logging work. Yai Boon and Di Por developed a close bond and soon became best friends. They did everything together, ambling from the mud pit to the riverside, always caring for one another and gently showing their affection along the way.
The years that gentle Yai Boon spent with us were truly magical—an extraordinary journey no one could have imagined. Thank you so much to Allene Lapides and Singleton Rankin, who gave Yai Boon the opportunity to rest and to taste both joy and freedom in the final years of her life.
On 7 February, 2026, Yai Boon left us and departed this world forever. We will always cherish and remember the beautiful days she spent with us. Rest in peace, Yai Boon. Walk gently through the gate of peace. You have entered a world of true tranquility, and you will live on forever in our hearts and memories.
