The Rescue of Apple & Mae Noi
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by
scott
On 16 December 2025, Apple and Mae Noi were rescued from an elephant riding camp in Kanchanaburi, marking the end of decades of hardship and the beginning of a new chapter in a safe home. For much of their lives, both elephants endured exploitation in Thailand’s tourism and logging industries. They were controlled with hooks, forced to perform and give rides to tourists, and returned to chains when the day’s work was done — a life far removed from the freedom and family bonds elephants naturally seek.
Apple
Apple is a 24-year-old female who was taken from her mother at just one year old. She was sold into the Khong Pat Show, a traveling elephant circus that moved from town to town across Thailand. Trained to perform a variety of tricks, she spent her early years under constant control. When not performing, she was used as a street-begging elephant in various towns and cities. At the age of 12, Apple was sold again, this time to Wang Pho Elephant Camp in Kanchanaburi. For the next 12 years, she carried tourists on her back day after day, living a repetitive cycle of work and confinement until her rescue.
Mae Noi
Mae Noi, aged 39, spent much of her life in the logging industry along the Thai–Burmese border. Owned by a member of the Karen hill tribe, she hauled heavy logs from the forest for nearly 30 years. The physical toll of that period is still visible in the scars that mark her body. After decades in logging, she too was moved into tourism, working at a trekking camp in Kanchanaburi for eight years. While little is known about her early life, the evidence of long-term hardship is unmistakable.
The Rescue Journey
When the rescue team arrived, Apple and Mae Noi were found in chains, subdued, and visibly stressed. The operation unfolded over two days, with the journey from Kanchanaburi to Chiang Mai lasting nearly 24 hours.
Guided by compassion and meticulous planning, Lek and her team, including veterinarians, watched over the elephants with constant care—preparing food and water and checking on them regularly to ensure their comfort and safety.
When Apple and Mae Noi finally stepped down from the rescue truck at their new home, the moment was deeply moving. After many difficult years, they were entering a very different world—one without chains, without performances, without exploitation. Here, they are given the space to heal among other elephants and rediscover natural behaviors at their own pace. This is their final home — a place where they can feel safe, respected, and at peace.
This rescue was made possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Noelle Weiss and Les Éléphants de Lek, whose compassion helped transform the lives of these two elephants. From hardship and neglect to a nurturing environment surrounded by nature, Apple and Mae Noi now have the freedom to rest, recover, and simply be elephants.
