M e e t O u r H e r d
A P r o m i s e W a s M a d e,
I t I s K e p t, E v e r y S i n g l e D a y
A M i n d O f H i s O w n
J u m b o
Mom, My Mahout Hurt Me !
One morning,
after their usual trip to the river,
Jumbo was being walked back past the office. Bathing is part of their routine—
with or without guests.—
As he passed— he suddenly roared.
Loud. Dramatic.
As if something terrible had just happened.—
I ran out immediately.
“What did you do to him?” I demanded.—
The mahout froze. Hands up. Nothing in them.
“No, no—I didn’t do anything!”— I didn’t believe him.— Jumbo stood there, calmly chewing on branches. Perfectly fine.—
I warned the mahout anyway. “If I find out you hurt him— you ’re in trouble."
Then I went back inside.— A few minutes later, my staff came to see me.
“I saw everything,” she said.
I thought she would confirm my suspicion.—
She didn’t.
“The mahout did nothing. He just walked past
the office…” She paused.“…
and Jumbo shouted by himself.”—
And that was it.—
Jumbo knows exactly how this works.—
If he makes enough noise, I will come out.
And the mahout. will be blamed.—
Not because anything happened.
But because— in his own mind—
he believes he is the favorite.
Sorry, I Don't Care
Jumbo was already eating—pumpkin,
his favorite—before the guests arrived.
When it was time to go,
his mahout guided him forward.
Jumbo made it very clear, he disagreed.—
He protested, loudly. Reluctantly,
he walked on.
For about a minute.—Then he turned.
Walked straight backto the mounting point.—We ride bareback here.
Elephants usually kneel, and guests climb up themselves.
The platform is only therefor those who need it.—
Jumbo stood still. Calm. Unmoved.—
After a moment,the guest chose to get down.
And that was that.
He had no intentionof continuing.—
So he walked away.
Around the office,taking his time— and returned to his pumpkin.—
A female elephantwas brought in instead.
Jumbo had already decided.—He does work.
But only as much as he feels is necessary.
Just enough, it seems,to earn his meals.
A l m o s t H o l y
Every morning, we offer food to monks.
And like everyone else, Jumbo takes part.—
He holds the bag gently, raises his trunk high— touching his forehead, as if in quiet respect.—
Then, one morning, someone placed a sticky rice parcel inside. Banana. Wrapped in leaves. His favorite.—
Jumbo lifted his trunk— and paused.—
He didn’t move.— He just stood there. Thinking.—
We watched. Then we realized.—
“Jumbo… don’t.” “Don’t do that.” “Be good.”—
We started counting. One… two… three…—
By ten, he slowly lowered his trunk— and offered the bag properly.—
We all exhaled. Relieved.—
Until— just before pulling his trunk away—
he slipped it back in.—
And took the sticky rice.
Straight into his mouth.—
He had waited. He had thought. He had tried.—
But in the end— he chose himself.
Even devotion… has its limits.
Jumbo Loves Kids ?
When families visit,
Jumbo seems to prefer children.
Adults rarely get the same response.—
We ride bareback here. The elephant must kneel for guests to climb on.—
With children, Jumbo kneels.
No hesitation.—
But when adults approach—
he stands up. Immediately.—
No resistance. No drama.
Just… not participating.—
Guests often smile.
“He must love kids.”—
I once thought the same.—
But Jumbo is not especially
fond of young company.
When calves come too close,
he will kick them away.—
So I asked his mahout,
“Does he love children?”—
He shook his head.
“No,”
he said.— “They’ re lighter.”
Who is more clever ?
At the time, Jumbo’s mahout and Aom’ s mahout were close— and quietly competitive.
—One day, both elephants were out with guests. A guest offered Jumbo a 20-baht note.
He took it… and handed it back.—
The guest tried again. Jumbo refused.—
His mahout laughed. “Try a red one,” he said.— The guest offered a 100.
Jumbo accepted— and passed it to his mahout.
A small victory.—
Then the guest turned to Aom. This time, prepared.
A red note was offered.—
Aom took it—and swallowed it.—
Everyone froze.—
Another red note was given.
This time, Aom accepted it properly. and passed it on.—
Later, when the guests had left—
Aom calmly brought the first note back.—
Her mahout smiled. And said nothing.—
Some victories don’t last very long.
That day.
Jumbo lost.
ATV & Gangster
One day, a dispute over an ATV brought several men to the camp.
They arrived together—
loud, confrontational,demanding that I come out.—
I stood there,speaking with them.— Jumbo had just come up from the water. He was being led away.—
Then he stopped.
Right behind me.—
He didn’t move.—The mahout called him. “Jumbo, this is not your concern.” But he stayed.—Silent.Still.—
He didn’t step forward.
He didn’t make a sound.—
But the atmosphere shifted.—
After a while, the men began to leave. One by one.—
They took the vehicle,and drove away.—
Jumbo turned,and walked back as if nothing had happened.—
He had done nothing.—
And yet—he had changed everything.
Jumbo.. Krub !
We never trained Jumbo.
In fact, we wouldn’t even know how.—
But one day, while asking for food,
he said, “krub.”—
We were surprised.
He must have learned it before.
But somehow,it stayed.—
So when guests askedhow to tell them apart,we would say:
“The one with the uneven leg—
and the one who says krub.”—
Most guests loved it.
They would laugh,offer food—
and Jumbo would reply,politely,
every time.
Until one day—he met a child
who wouldn’t stop.—“Krub!”
the child called.“Krub,”
Jumbo answered.
Again.And again.
And again.—
All the way to the river.—
By the time they arrived,
Jumbo had had enough.
He went straight into the water—
and drank.
Deeply.—
Since then,
he’s been more open to adults.
Jumbo Handed The Brush To The Guest
Jumbo… our little gentleman with a very selective work ethic 😄
Jumbo is the type of elephant who does things only when he feels like it.
If he’s in a good mood, he’ll happily join in.
If not… nobody can really convince him otherwise.
Back when Dukdik and Nook started learning how to hold brushes and paint,
Jumbo became curious too. He would walk over, sniff the brushes, watch closely, and pretend he wanted to join.
At first , Jumbo seemed more interested in the fruit rewards than the painting itself.
So one day, we let him try. He simply made random lines and marks — nothing recognizable at all 😆
But since he seemed interested, and the guests enjoyed watching him, we occasionally let him “paint” together with visitors.
For a while, Jumbo played along quite happily.
He would hold the brush with his trunk, wave it around a little, and make a few lazy strokes on the canvas.
But after a short time… the gentleman became tired of working 😂
Instead of continuing, Jumbo slowly stretched his trunk toward one of the guests standing nearby —
still holding the paint brush —
as if saying: “Your turn. You do it.”
Th e guests burst out laughing. It was such a perfectly human moment — like someone casually passing their work to a friend because they suddenly couldn’t be bothered anymore.
That’s Jumbo.
Not a performing elephant.
Not an elephant following a strict routine or script.
Just an elephant with his own moods, personality, laziness, humor, and charm 🤎
More Than He Shows
At the time, Jumbo became the one everyone blamed.
People spoke quickly, without knowing the full story.— But I did not punish him. I couldn’ t.
Because something about that moment did not feel the way it was being told.—
That morning, in the hospital, I woke at 11:15 from a dream.
Jumbo was there— at the shore. Holding someone down. I couldn’ t see who.—
It stayed with me. So I called.
There were already four of our staff with the guests, along with their guide. Five people. Two guests.
Everything was in place.—
At 14:00, the call came.—
Something had happened.—
A newly joined staff member approached him— calling herself “mother,” reaching for him in her own way.—
Jumbo reacted.
He pushed her down. She fell. Her arm was broken. — And then— he stopped.—
He did not continue.
He did not go after anyone else.
He walked away.—
That is the part people did not see.—
At the time, it was difficult to understand.—
But later, some things came to light.
Things that made that moment. feel different from how it first appeared.—
Not everything we see. is the full story.— Elephants feel.
They notice more than we sometimes realize.—
And sometimes— they respond to something
we have not yet understood.—
It was the only time in over nine years.
And he has never done it again.—
So no— I did not punish him.—
Because in that moment, he was not out of control.— He chose to stop.—
He did not act out of aggression— only to stop. what he felt should not come any closer to his mother.—
And in his own way, he was protecting the one he knew as his real mother.