Earlier this week the WFFT Elephant Refuge Rescue Team went to Kanchanaburi to rescue disabled elephant Mee Chai. She is a 37-year-old elephant who spent most of her life used in logging in Myanmar. While she was working in the logging industry, a dreadful accident occurred; a tree fell on her foot and broke it. Without any opportunity to recover due being forced to continue working even with her injury, her right foreleg is now permanently deformed.

She was later sold to a camp in Thailand to work in tourism industry giving rides. There, once again, no rest, no recovery time, she was still forced to endure chains, beatings and hooks. She carried tourists every day, all year long until we heard about her plight. The torture never stopped!… Until this week!

Joan and the crew from Australia again came to the rescue, and helped WFFT save this hurt soul from a life of abuse. One week prior to her rescue, the team visited the camp where Mee Chai was living, Joan and the team found that Mee Chai was still working, being forced to hobble up and down a hill with her injured foot, to make it even worse, her injured foot was chained. The decision was made to rescue her as soon as possible. And that’s what happened. After her very last truck drive, Mee Chai found her new home at the WFFT Elephant Refuge! And has already sampled freedom at WFFT’s Project 4 where, hopefully, she will make new friends and become part of the herd. She has already begun to form a friendship with another rescued elephant, Gan Da. No More Chains! No More Hooks! No More Abuse! You are now free beautiful lady!! Watch this space updates on her progress.