Sao Noi was forced to give rides to tourists (Picture: BLES/Facebook)

An elephant that had been forced to give rides to tourists was so emaciated you could see her ribcage.

Sao Noi was chained up and kept in a camp in Thailand, where she was made to perform the back-breaking work.

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It’s likely she would have been tortured into submission, too.

While people might think elephant rides are just a bit of fun, it’s not at all fun for the elephants who have to do it.


Elephants who perform these tricks for tourists – such as giving rides, performing massages or playing basketball – go through a horrific process called ‘phajaan’, or ‘elephant crushing’.

She was so emaciated you could see her bones (Picture: BLES/Facebook)

This is where baby elephants are stolen from their parents and tortured from a young age.

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‘Trainers’ will then lock them in tiny cages, tie them up with rope, starve them, deprive them of sleep and water, beat and stab them on a daily basis until they become completely broken and subservient.



Thankfully, Sao Noi was eventually rescued by Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES), which is based in Sukhothai.

The journey from the camp to Sukhothai took more than 30 hours, but luckily volunteers had a meal and a warm coat waiting for her in their truck.

Volunteers managed to rescue her and take her to a sanctuary in Sukhothai (Picture: BLES/Facebook)

‘She is calm and enjoying the mini feast we had prepared for her in the truck,’ the sanctuary wrote during the rescue.

‘She is all wrapped up in a specially made, water and wind-proof gold coat, looking cosy, but weak.’

Here’s hoping she has a much happier life at the sanctuary.

If you would like to donate to BLES and help with their rescue efforts, click here

H/T The Dodo