Somai

Somai was one of our founding elephants at BLES. He was affectionately known as our Granddad bull, because of his gentle nature and love of socialising with all of our other elephants. Somai was donated to Katherine, before she had even built the sanctuary! One of the few lucky elephants left in Thailand, he was used for sustainable logging and well cared for by his village owners.

During the hot season here in Thailand, forest fires are a constant worry. The fires erupt without warning and devastate acres of land within minutes. Sadly, one evening, Somai got trapped in a fierce, out of control, blaze. Surrounded by flames and thick smoke, Somai frantically vocalised and alerted his sleeping owners. The villagers desperately worked throughout the night to save the bull, with nothing but buckets and mops to fight the fire. Many believed their efforts were in vain and that Somai had surely succumbed to the fire. Refusing to give up on Somai, they continued on until morning break and finally found Somai collapsed and covered in smoldering ash.

Miraculously alive, Somai was dangerously weak, with third degree burns covering his body. The owners immediately contacted the elephant hospital and upon arrival, his burns and wounds were carefully treated.

Nobody expected Somai to survive such an ordeal, but his owners never gave up hope. Six moths of daily treatment from the veterinarians, Somai was discharged and allowed to return home, after making a complete recovery.

Katherine was thrilled when the villagers informed her that as a token of their unconditional faith in her, they would donate Somai to BLES. Somai joined Pang Tong and the two of them formed a powerful friendship, as they oversaw the building of BLES.

Eleven years on from the fire, our darling Somai, adored and respected by all, sadly passed away on November 3rd 2015.

Dignified and awesome in death, as in life, his passing affected us all deeply. The entire village came to pay their respects and say farewell to a hero and a legend.

There are not many bulls in this world that have invoked so much love and respect as Somai did. The fact that he died a natural death, out in the forest, at peace with himself and the world , is a blessing for us and a testament to what we do here at BLES.

Rest in Peace Somai.