Nwon is a majestic bull in his sixties and came to BLES in December 2015, along with three other bulls, who were living locally in our community and like them, was used for dragging heavy timber in the logging industry. Nwon grew tired of work and began lashing out against the people and elephants around him. This behaviour left him isolated and unwanted, deemed “too aggressive” to approach.

It was after the passing of Somai, the BLES patriarch and local legend, that Nwon’s owner, along with three other elephant owners from the village, approached BLES Founder Katherine about his difficult situation. The owner was struggling to care for Nwon, but was reluctant to sell the bull into tourism.

Nwon’s owner and the owners of the other Baan Tuek Bulls, were inspired by the long life that Somai had enjoyed at BLES and they wanted the same for their bulls.

Katherine, who knew these men well and knew that the love they had for their bulls was genuine, recognised that raising the funds to buy four bull elephants was impractical and could take several months. She wanted to offer immediate support to the men and so suggested that they retire their elephants to BLES and in return, Katherine would employ them to continue to care for the bulls.

Nwon’s owner was elated - Katherine had made all of his dreams come true - Not only was Nwon going to enjoy retirement at BLES and live out the rest of his life in true sanctuary, but the owner was also going to receive a generous salary for a job that he loved and he didn’t have to move away from home and leave his family behind. It was a win - win for all!

Nwon is handsome, tall and strong and has enjoyed every moment of his retirement at BLES.

He tends to prefer the peace of his own company, but occasionally, will enjoy spending time with our resident Floozies - Pang Suai, Pang Noi and Lom.