Daily Banana – Lean On Me
The Story of Medo
Today I wanted to share the sad story of one of these amazing animals. Find out how I became involved with these asian elephants HERE.
Medo (right) was born around 1976. The majority of her working days were spent in logging camps. She was rescued from a very remote area near the Thai/Burma border, and arrived at the Elephant Nature Park in June 2006. Medo was put to work at the age of 8. She hauled logs in the mountains spanning the border region for 4 years, until she was seriously injured when a heavy log fell on her, breaking her rear left ankle. Unable to work, 12 year old Medo’s contract with the logging company was cancelled. The bone never properly set, and even to this day her original injury is evident.
Medo was then forced into a breeding program. She was chained by four legs and a huge bull savagely attacked her, pinning her on the ground with his tusk. She screamed in pain but no one would risk coming close to help her. She was left lying, bleeding and crying in agony, alone. Vets would soon determine that her backbone had become dislocated. These injuries were life threatening, and Medo fought for her life for 3 full years.
For the next 15 years Medo spent her life in isolated and tedious toil. The owners were shameful of her condition and sought to keep her hidden. No camps would accept an elephant so marred by abuse.
The Elephant Nature Park team finally found her in Feb 2006; dragging the small logs that she could, in an isolated village in the mountains. On arrival at ENP, Medo saw other elephants again for the first time in 15 years. Unsure of herself, she had a slow adjustment period, but finally a strong bond of friendship formed with gentle Mae Mai. Medo’s major physical injuries will likely never heal but with hope she can still become a well-adjusted and social elephant.
Learn more about Elephant Nature Park in Thailand.
