Monday, January 28, 2013

Update on Boon Jan



Update on Boon Jan

Morgan Movius

Boon Jan recently went through intense emotional and physical trauma during her transport to the hospital in Lampang and then with the death of her baby, Song Kran. When she was brought back to the village we worried that she would have a difficult time recovering from her experiences and adjusting to life in the forest without Song Kran.  We gave her a week to be with the herd without anyone going out to see her, to give her time away from the stress of human interactions. Last week we went to see her for the first time since she came back, and we have been closely observing her behavior for any signs of stress or discomfort. Although we can never know what Boon Jan is thinking, and we may not be able to accurately read her emotional state, from our observations Boon Jan seems to be recovering well. 
The elephants have spent several weeks together in a corn field, rarely wandering far from each other’s sight. Boon Jan’s wounds have healed and she has been eating well and interacting with the other elephants, and she does not seem bothered by the presence of volunteers. It’s still hard for those of us who knew Song Kran to see our herd of only four, and we cannot imagine what Boon Jan is feeling or how she will process this experience, but we are so happy to have her back with her herd in the forest, and we are so thankful that she seems to be doing well. 

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