Mahout profile - Jordoh

Basic Information

Mahout for	Kah Moon
Date of Birth	April 25th, 1988
Mother	Toomoo
Father	Danono
Brother	Toosheh
Sister	Watoo
Birthplace	Karen village in Burma

Biography

Jordoh, the only mahout born outside of Thailand, grew up in a Karen village in Burma. He never attended school, but instead worked on his family’s rice farm. In 2009, he landed a job as a mahout in an elephant camp in Mae Hong Son, where he was trained. While he was there, he met some villagers from Huay Pakoot who told him about an available mahout position in the village for two elephants: Song Kran and his mother, Boon Jan. With the expansion of the project in June 2013 Jordoh began mahouting for our new elephant Kah Moon. Despite his intention to eventually leave Huay Pakoot, he does enjoy living here, as he is still able to spend time in the forest and meet new people on a regular basis. Jordoh may be quiet during hikes but is listening and taking in what English is spoken around him; he secretly understands and speaks fairly good English but has a shy nature, but after a beer or two the English may start flowing. In his free time, he enjoys sleeping and hunting. He describes himself as outdoorsy, funny, and helpful.

Fun Facts

Dream Job	Rice farmer
Favorite thing about being a mahout	Learning English by listening to Westerners, constantly meeting new people
Knowledge about medicinal plants	Yes (little)