Bua Baan
Bua Baan
Born 1980 | Female | Laos
Bua Baan is a female elephant in her early 40s who spent most of her life in the logging industry. From a young age, she was forced to pull heavy logs day after day, enduring grueling conditions. Once a year, she was sent to an elephant festival, where she was required to perform tricks to entertain spectators. Training for these tricks was especially difficult for Bua Baan, as she was accustomed only to the labor-intensive work of logging.
Throughout her life, Bua Baan endured several major events that caused significant physical and emotional harm.
While working in the forest, Bua Baan was blinded in her left eye after being struck by a slingshot. Additionally, the constant strain of hauling extremely heavy trees caused her abdominal wall to tear, resulting in a hernia. Though her hernia is no longer life-threatening now that she resides at the sanctuary, it would have posed severe risks to her life had she remained in the logging industry or become pregnant.
In addition to her physical injuries, Bua Baan also endured emotional trauma. Around 2015, Bua Baan gave birth to a baby and in 2018, she was sent to the annual elephant festival with her calf. Tragically, during the festival, her baby became ill and passed away. After the event, Bua Baan was forced to make the long journey home alone.
Today, Bua Baan resides at the sanctuary, where she is free from the demands of logging and festivals. While the physical and emotional scars from her past remain, the sanctuary provides her with a safe and caring environment where she can live peacefully.
