Trees for Faa Sai
- Photo story: Faa Sai is enjoying her freedom at the Elephant Nature Park.
- How she was freed was shown in the TV show ‘Aanpakken & Wegwezen’ by the Dutch broadcasting network LLiNK.
- Photo album Faa Sai.
- Add a banner to your website: Trees for Faa Sai!
- Appeal: The Elephant Nature Park has a great need for healthy, non-poisonous and varied food. This is why thousands of trees are being planted in and around the park for Faa Sai and the more than thirty other elephants being cared for. Please help!
Faa Sai November 2007
We found Faa Sai (Bright Sky) in November 2007 at the mahout camp outside of the elephant festival grounds in Surin. She is approximately four years old. Abused by people in such a bad way, that mentally she’s in a bad shape. She is so restless; she doesn’t stand still for a single moment. With her front legs chained together she jumps around in all directions. Her eyes are infected; they show white marks and can only open slightly. She hasn’t eaten since she arrived in Surin.
Lek and Antoinette with Faa Sai
Lek and Antoinette are willing to buy Faa Sai so badly.
“When the other elephants in the Elephant Nature Park start taking care of her, she will be better soon. Antoinette sends out an emergency appeal to the donors that night and the next they Lek and Antoinette were arranging Faa Sai’s freedom already.
Together with our supporters we were ablo to buy free Faa Sai. So proud of Bring the Elephant Home! To everyone who has helped us, thanks again from Faa Sai.
Faa Sai in the truck
Faa Sai is being a big girl during the trip. She eats well and is very curious for us and the surroundings. Every now and then she puts her trunk out of the truck to take a sniff of fresh air.
One more hour to go
In the morning Faa Sai is starting to get exhausted. The last hour seems to take as long as three hours. Hold on Faa Sai!
Unchained
But then we enter through the gate of the Elephant Nature Park followed by camera teams running along. Lek and the volunteers have been waiting for us. Faa Sai is helped off the truck, and her chains are being removed. We first take her to the river to drink. And Lek has arranged some fruit for her. But she prefers just grazing grass. A real street elephant. Street elephants always eat bananas or sugarcane and hardly ever graze themselves.
Sri Nuan greets Faa Sai
Then the time has arrived to meet with the herd…A young elephant is always popular, because most adult female elephants like to take care of another adoption child. Faa Sai is being circled by several families. She’s is being sniffed at and touched by trunks from all sides. The babies want to start playing with her immediately. Sri Nuan tries to put her in her mouth, and when she doesn’t manage to do so, tries to get her to stand beneath her. A cacophony of elephant sounds. Faa Sai is a popular girl from the start.
Eye treatment
Her eyes have been treated and have healed completely.
Faa Sai under cover
Soon Faa Sai felt right at home at the Elephant Nature Park and behaved as if she had been part of the group for years. So much fun, how wonderful to watch!
Faa Sai and mahout Dam.
By now Faa Sai has become the life and soul of the Park. From time to time she goes wild in the mud bath. She tries to push everybody into the bath and has a great time running at a group of people who then have to run for their lives. Elephant Hope doesn’t really like Faa sai and makes it very clear. Since Faa Sai is no match for Hope, she takes it out on Hope’s mahout Dam. When Dam walks by defiantly, Faa Sai often tries to push him with her trunk.
Faa Sai and friends
At the Elephant Nature Park, elephants with a traumatic past are given a home. No matter how traumatic their past, at the park they live together, in a family unit. And with every passing year they are becoming elephants again. Faa Sai too will be able to spend her entire life at the park, free and together with other elephants!
Volunteers are planting trees
The park has a great need for healthy, non-poisonous and varied food. This is why thousands of trees are being planted in and around the park. Last year, the local Forestry department of the Thai government provides us with 10,000 sprigs to fill the nursery. Species of trees indigenous to the area, fast-growing and favoured by the elephants.
Newly planted trees at the Elephant Nature Park.
The first 20.000 trees have already been planted in and around the Elephant Nature Park.
Faa Sai sand in the air.
A great start, but we still have a long way to go. Faa Sai and the other elephants need healthy, non-poisonous and varied food. Many more trees will have to be planted.
Thanks! Antoinette
