“It’s time for Grandma to be cared for well and allowed to rest.”
Grandma Somboon worked for 80 years in the logging and tourism industries after being taken from the wild when she was a baby. She should have been relishing her life, but instead she was on her feet all day, taking visitors for rides and putting in long hours at work. The Save Elephant Foundation was forced to assist Somboon after learning of her situation.
“It’s time for Grandma to be cared for well and allowed to rest,” the rescue wrote on Facebook. “We’re on a rescue mission to protect Somboon and transport her to her final true home.”
Somboon was transported to the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary in late January after she was eventually freed from the area where she had been compelled to work her entire life. Somboon had thin skin, no teeth, and scaly, dry skin when she got to her new house. She appeared to know that she was at last safe despite everything.
“Upon arrival, many new elephants, still plagued by paranoia and lack of trust, take weeks before they will lie down,” the rescue wrote. “However, Grandma Somboon defied the norm. Exhausted from her journey and a lifetime of hardship, she promptly sought the sand pile prepared for her, sleeping soundly amidst the bustling activities around her.”
Somboon had been standing her entire life, so she was quite happy to be able to sit down and have a rest when she finally got to a place where she knew she was appreciated.
Somboon was unable to rise up when she eventually awoke from a deep slumber. Fortunately, her rescuers arrived quickly to assist her in getting to her feet and have been keeping a careful eye on her ever since to make sure she’s okay.
Grandma Somboon is doing remarkably well in her new sanctuary house. After everything she’s been through, she still has a long way to go before she fully recovers, but she is making progress. She is eating well, walking at her own pace, and taking lots of mud baths. Her rescuers are ecstatic that they were able to fulfill their dream and that she is now leading the life she was always destined to lead.
