Boon Ma
Beautiful Boon Ma
This beautiful girl is Boon Ma and she is in her mid-forties. She arrived at BLES, safe and sound, on the 18th July 2024.
Boon Ma ‘s life before BLES was dismal. She stood on a broken concrete floor, for hours on end, day in, day out. She was confined to a cramped, run-down, insufficient, roadside stable. Her space, at most, was 4x4 meters, and she was in a constant state of fear from the speeding traffic that zoomed past her prison like enclosure. She was depressed and very lonely.
Boon Ma translates as, ‘coming of blessings’.
Boon Ma’s gentle eyes were empty. She was spiritless, and despondent. she also displayed distinct signs of discomfort, not fully weight bearing on any of her feet and abnormally shifting her body weight from side to side.
Her overworked body was exhausted and scarred from more than forty years of captivity.
Half of her tail is missing. Her left ear is badly disfigured, and her trunk has gaping holes along the side. Her front right leg is stiff, all four of her feet are swollen because her nails are overgrown, and she has blisters in between her nails.
She spent her days stuck in that stable, waiting for the occasional tourist to stop by and feed her small baskets of bananas. If they wanted to ride her, they could - she was at the disposal of strangers.
Boon Ma’s owners were struggling to care for their last remaining elephant. She had been a part of their family for over thirty years, and they knew that it was time for Boon Ma to finally be free.
Her owners were good people and they worked hard their entire lives. An elderly couple, riddled with a multitude of illnesses, they did not have a pension scheme, health insurance, or any financial security, to fall back on. They wanted to be able to spend the time they have left together, safe in the knowledge that Boon Ma and their ongoing medical expenses were taken care of.
In a record breaking 10 days, the funds needed to secure Boon Ma’s retirement were raised. 469 people from all around the world gave what they could and played a pivotal part in creating a compassionate change.
Boon Ma truly is the sweetest girl. She is trusting and has embraced her new life at BLES. We are all completely in love with her and cant wait to watch her become an elephant again.
Meet Boon Ma’s Mahout - Nu
