OUR ELEPHANTS
To be in the presence of the largest land mammal on earth is a truly life changing experience
Our eight beautiful elephants spent the last two decades giving thousands of rides to tourists, they worked long days with very little rest.
Their lives are now completely transformed and they will never have to work again. They live peacefully with us here at Hidden Forest and have the freedom to make their own decisions; to choose to bathe in the ponds, roam around the forest, and live a life previously only in their dreams.
We offer a truly magical and peaceful experience where we hope you will feel humbled to be in the presence of these magnificent animals, observing them in the tranquility of their natural forest home.
ฝ้าย Nong Fai (Cotton) 55 yrs
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Nong Fai is 55 years old and looks much younger than her years. She is a sweet, kind, calm, gentle soul. Many years ago, she was used as a logging elephant near the Myanmar border to haul teak out of the jungle, and then brought to Phuket to give rides to tourists.
She was one of the first 4 elephants to arrive at Hidden Forest on 2nd Nov 2023. She initially preferred to be around people and was scared of the other elephants but when Wassana arrived on 14th March 2024, they showed interest in being friends. Our team slowly socialised them and they are now inseparable best friends. Wassana and Nong Fai have very similar personalities and even look similar from a distance making it difficult to recognise who is who from afar!
Elephants used in the riding industry often don’t have the freedom of a large pond in which to bathe and if they do bathe in a pond or river, they are not left in peace. Our pond at our Hidden Forest Restaurant could be the very first time that Nong Fai has bathed in years. At first she was afraid to go in on her own, so her mahout, whom she trusts, swam infront of her for the first month and she followed him eventually trusting her new environment to bathe on her own. Now she is best friends with Wassana, it's wonderful to watch these two beautiful friends roam our land and bathe together peacefully, in the forest where elephants belong.
Photo Credit: Phuket Photography Tours
น้ำผึ้ง Nam Paerng (Honey) 59 yrs
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Nam Paerng is 59 years old, and is best friends with Gaw Boon. They both arrived on 2nd November 2023, and instantly bonded by touching trunks and rumbling with affection. Over the months they have been together, Nam Paerng has given Gaw Boon the comfort and support needed for Gaw Boon to settle into her sanctuary life.
Nam Paerng originated from the Nakhon/Yala region in the south of Thailand where she was a logging elephant for many years, hauling teak and rubber trees out of the forest. She was then sold to a riding camp in Phang Nga before being sold again to Phuket to give rides to tourists before being rescued into sanctuary life with us.
Nam Paerng is slow, calm and gentle but loves communicating and has the loudest most incredible roar that we've ever heard, often rumbling and roaring with Gaw Boon near our pond!
She doesn't like walking very far and takes her time. Maybe after decades of hard work, she enjoys our slow, peaceful pace of life in the forest whilst she continues to rehabilitate and enjoy her freedom.
We believe elephants heal each other and it's wonderful to see the beautiful friendship between Nam Paerng and Gaw Boon at Hidden Forest.
Photo Credit: Phuket Photography Tours
ชื่อก่อบุญ Gaw Boon (Good Luck) 53 yrs
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Gaw Boon is 53 years old, she is our tallest elephant and very impressive. She has a wonderful aura about her, as if she has seen the world but is finally at peace in the forest. She was bought from a riding camp in Pattaya during Covid as her owner couldn't take care of her any longer. Riding camps in Pattaya work their elephants very hard as pre Covid there was a huge influx of customers wanting to ride elephants.
On arrival, Gaw Boon instantly showed a friendship towards Nam Paerng as they touched trunks and talked to each other with rumbles and trumpets. It was wonderful to see a natural friendship form so quickly. At the previous riding camp in Phuket where they both worked, we were told they didn't show a friendship between each other so it will be wonderful to see this friendship blossom. We feel that now they aren't forced to work anymore, their true personalities will shine through.
Gaw Boon has white toe nails and white palate (roof of her mouth) - 2 of 7 points that determine a sacred white elephant. She used to be flighty and insecure, and would only bathe in the corner of the pond for the first 5 months. However, mid April 2024, one day she decided to follow Nam Paerng to the far side of the pond to roll around, bathe and play. It was incredible to see her confidence develop and we look forward to watching as she continues her life living peacefully in the forest as all elephants should.
Photo Credit: Phuket Photography Tours
ต้นอ้อย Ton Oi (Sugarcane) 43 yrs
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Ton Oi is 43 years old and she is a really sweet, friendly elephant. She has a quirky personality and is very funny! She's our only elephant that plays with an old tyre, or throws branches and even small stones around. She sometimes even dives into the pond with her bottom in the air.
Ton Oi used to worked in the logging industry to haul teak out of the forest, and then she was sold to a riding camp in Pattaya where she worked long hard days giving rides to tourists giving up to 30-40 rides a day. During Covid, she was taken to Surin in North East Thailand when there was no tourism, and once Thailand started to re-open, she was sold and transported to a riding camp in Phuket to give rides.
Ton Oi loves to bathe in our pond, often spending up to half an hour in there! She doesn't like sharing the pond with other elephants as she often swims and splashes around the entire pond. Once an egret landed in the pond and she chased it of!
We would love Ton Oi to become friends with our other elephants but she gets very excited and tends to push, so we are taking interactions slowly. At the time of writing (17 July 2024), she is showing interest in Wassana and Nong Fai, so we'll see over the next weeks if this friendship blossoms. We take time to socialise our elephants. Some have never had a friend before, each has their own personal trauma, and it's safe and respectful not to rush interactions.
To see Ton Oi in the pond, there is video of her bathing at the bottom of our home page where we explain why we don't allow visitors to bathe with our elephants! Pls also check out our Insta and Facebook!!
Photo Credit: Phuket Photography Tours
วาสนา Wassana (Destiny) 48 yrs
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Wassana is 48 years old and she is a such a sweet, calm, gentle giant. For the last few years she has been a temple elephant but she was previously used in the logging industry and then as sold into the riding industry. Most elephants at this age we formerly used in logging and when the government banned commercial logging in 1989, elephants were retrained to carry a chair and gave rides to tourists instead.
When Wassana first arrived she was very overweight and unfit as she was fed too many bananas from visitors at the temple and had no exercise. We had to be careful to gradually increase her exercise up and down the hills until she gained muscle strength. She also has an old injury to her rear right leg and she takes her time getting in and out of the pond, and going up and down the steeper hills.
In June 2024, she became best friends with Nong Fai, who is equally calm, patience and kind. Nong Fai waits for her, and they constantly touch each other for reassurance, and we often hear them rumbling and squeaking to each other too.
Sudai also hangs out with these two elephants as she is friends with Wassana so we often see Wassana, Nong Fai and Sudjai together, though Sudjia sometimes tries to push Nong Fai to assert her authority as a 60 year grandma within the friendship!
We always say that elephants heal each other and it's wonderful that these elephants now have the time, space, freedom and peace to spend each day together.
Photo: Wassana (right) with Nong Fai
สุดใจ Sudjai (The deepest love at the bottom of your heart) 60 yrs
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Sudjai is our oldest and smallest elephant. At 60 years old, some think she's young, but you can see from her sunken temples and cheeks, that her body wears her age. We rescued Sudjai in March 2024 from a logging camp in the south of Thailand. She was emaciated as she had been worked very hard and we could see her ribcage. She has two huge muscle formations on the front of her shoulders from hauling timber from the forest, and her back legs have been stabbed to force her to pull heavy loads.
She arrived on the same huge truck as Wassana, both already friends when they arrived having spent a week in the Province to settle before their long journey to Phuket.
As an older elephant, Sudjai likes to think she's the matriarch. She is happy being with Wassana but can be a little jealous with Nong Fai but she will settle with time. She doesn't like bathing, we aren't sure if she has ever bathed before or something horrific has happened to her in the water but she does love her own space and often wanders into the forest near the pond for time alone. We find when we rescue older elephants that they like time alone after a very long hard solitary life being told what to do and forced to work.
Sudjai has all the time in the world to settle into her new home with us and we look forward to watching as she continues to find the peace and tranquility in the forest that she deserves.
บุญเย็น Boon Yen (meaning Peaceful) 58 yrs
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Welcome Boon Yen! Our 7th elephant who arrived on 26th November 2024. Pls click HERE for her rescue on Facebook.
Full Story - Updating here very soon!!
นางฟ้า Nang Fa (meaning Angel)
For weekly updates of our elephants and their transition into our sanctuary, please visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Welcome Nang Fa! Our 8th elephant who arrived on 10th December 2024. Pls click HERE for her rescue on Facebook.
Full Story - Updating here very soon!!
