Boon Chuey บุญช่วย
Name meaning: Good fortune
Arrival date: May 2014
Arrival age: 51
Rescue location: Pattaya
History : Boon Chuey previously worked in the logging, street begging and trekking industries. She began her days working on the streets of Bangkok and was eventually moved to a trekking camp at a beach resort where she would carry tourists on her back all day. She was even forced to work on the morning of her rescue.
Characteristics: Boon Chuey is very easy to recognise due to her deformed spine. A healthy elephant back should be well-rounded, but Boon Chuey’s dips in the middle as a result of her years as a trekking elephant. Trekking elephants often spend full days carrying the weight of their mahout, tourists and a howdah (seat).
Boon Chuey is a tall elephant with many scars on her trunk from her working days. She is food oriented, dominant and very temperamental. She moves very quickly for food and will sometimes nudge volunteers if they don’t feed her fast enough!
Adopt Boon Chuey today: Help us to finance the ongoing care for Boon Chuey by making a donation.
Boon Chuey’s Story
February 2022
New photos of Boon Chuey
Rescued elephant, Boon Chuey, is easy to recognise. She has a deformed spine, caused by years of cruelty and abuse. For decades, Boon Chuey was exploited in many ways - from being forced to [...]
October 2018
How to Age Elephants
Did you know that elephants have 6 sets of teeth in a lifetime? Here are some other ways you can estimate the age of an elephant! https://youtu.be/eC7zQSYne3w
October 2017
Some Exciting Enrichments for the WFFT Elephants!!
Lately, the WFFT Elephant Refuge Volunteers and Staff have been pretty busy bringing some new fun to our pachyderm residents. All around the refuge new enrichments have popped up in elephant enclosures. It's hard hot [...]
March 2017
Dao Rueng and Boon Chuey
Take a look at the delightful Dao Rueng and boisterous Boon Chuey enjoying a dusty dust bath yesterday. See their stories here - Dao Rueng - www.thaielephantrefuge.org/WFFT-Elephants/daorueng/ Boon Chuey - www.thaielephantrefuge.org/WFFT-Elephants/boonchuey/
May 2014
Boon Chuey settling in at WFFT
Remember “Boon Chuey”, the elephant that was rescued 10 days ago from the elephant camp in Pattaya? (see photo). Well, Boon Chuey is doing well at WFFT now, after a long trip on the back [...]
Boon Chuey retires from tourism
To the rescue and retirement of a gentle giant. Boon Chuey is just over 50 years old and has ben working on the streets of Thailand and tourist elephant camps for several years. Yesterday was [...]
