Our story began in 2007 by adopting a blind elephant named “Boon Som” from an extremely abusive mahout. “Boon Som” suffered many years of abuse working within the forest and was injected with amphetamines so he would work harder. Finally, after his rescue he could retire and have a happier life at his new home by the river, with plenty of food and his health maintained. However, it took a long time for “Boom Som” to recover. The founder and his family kept watch over him daily for 6 months during which time he fell into a coma after his rescue. The massive wounds all over his body were incredibly painful, but by treating his wounds, giving him vitamins and anti-parasitic this helped with his recovery. Slowly but surely “Boom Som” started to feel better, was eating regularly, gained weight and has now fully recovered from his traumatic past. At our Ran-Tong elephant sanctuary we are trying to ensure a better quality of life for the elephants in their natural environment. Providing the right amount of food, water, exercise and stimulation without harming the animal in any way. Taking care of them is a costly and strenuous process and we need all the help we can get. Elephants are highly regarded in Thailand; in 1817 the Thailand flag symbolized a white elephant surrounded with a white Chakra and a red background. In the late 19th century the teak industry became the main business in Thailand and many more elephants were domesticated and made to go logging. This mass deforestation resulted in flash floods where many elephants and people died and forced the government to abolished logging. This left elephant owners without money to feed the elephants so took to begging in the streets for money. This was the start of the elephant journey to Eco-tourism and the sanctuary was born.