Maximus

The Life of Maximus Our Gentle Giant

This page is dedicated to the life of Max, one of the tallest elephants in Thailand. If you would like to start at the beginning of his life, start at the bottom of the page and scroll up.

April 19 2009

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Max.

Max has suffered arthritis for many years and as it has deteriorated his movements became increasingly limited. His biggest problem has been rising after lying down to sleep. Over the past few weeks he has had to be aided in order to stand. Eventually the only was to get him to his feet was to raise him with a mechanical crane. After he went down last Wednesday on the 15th April it was decided not to artificially raise him again.

Karl who was Max’s mahout for five years and in the recent past has had the closest human relationship with him flew in from India to be with him.

The Park had built a shade tent over Max where he lay and he was constantly spayed wit water to keep him cool. He was also provided unlimited bananas and surprised us all by having a good appetite.

However Max was in pain and the sad decision was taken to euthanise him on Friday. Everyone was able to have a private moment to say goodbye and we were all with him at the end.

It was terribly sad to lose such a deeply loved elephant famous throughout the world.

Max spent his last few years very happy and much loved by all who met him. His Mahout, Karl, loved him dearly and this love was very much reciprocated. He had a wonderful few years and all who met him will remember his gentle nature and rumbling purrs of happiness.

November 2006

max looking magnicficent in mush As predicted last month Max’s has gone into musth. This is a condition of heightened aggression that affects male elephants. Musth is still not fully understood by the scienific community but is widely thought to be a mechanism for ensuring genetic diversity in elephant populations. During musth a weaker bull loaded with testosterone is able to intimidate other males that would normally be much stronger. The weaker bull for the period of musth has a much better chance of being able to mate thus ensuring that the elephant population in a given area has the gentic diversity that is requierd for the long term health of the herd.

This process can be observed by comparing the relationship between Max and another bull at the Park, Boon Khum. Boon Khum has a much greater body weight and is a far more opposing elephant, withou doubt the dominant bull at the Park. Under normal circumstances Max will do anything to avoid contact but when Max has been in musth he has actually chased Boon Khum and the bigger elephant sensing the musth condition has turned tail and run.

During the musth period Max is being very closely supervised for the protection of people at the Park, other elephants and himself. He is however in the most wonderful condition and exudes power, strength and vitality. It is such a difference from when we first found him in 2002.

October 2006

Elephas Maximus On balance Max has had a good year and we are delighted to report that Max is healthy, content and receiving the very best of care.

According to his dedicated mahout, Max is in better heath than at any time since coming to the Park in 2003. In previous years Max?s weight has always appeared to fluctuate, but this year it seems to have remained fairly constant. Also, his confidence around other elephants has improved. The young elephants love him and can often be seen passing between his legs and under his belly. He is also a particular favourite with the ladies, especially Thai and more recently Mae Bua Tong. Unfortunately, there has been no sign of mating.

It has been 18 months since Max was in musth and he is showing signs that he may be about to go in again. There has been some swelling in his temporal lobe and on a couple of occasions, a slight discharge. He has also shown signs of increased sexual arousal and bad-temperedness of humans. His mahout says he has seen this type of behaviour in Max when he is teetering on the brink of musth, but never going into a full blown phase of the condition. His mahout says that this may be a sign that Max is passing out of the musth stage of his lifecycle, which would be in accordance with reference works on the subject.

The other thing very noticeable about Max is a marked lightening in his skin tone. We are unsure whether this can be attributable to better washing facilities in a deeper river, which has allowed years of deep soil staining to fade, or whether it is an actual physical change.

November 2005

giant%20elephant Since the attack in March 2005, Max has been much more comfortable around the elephants, eating his lunch outside the main hut every day, surrounded by several of the other elephants. He has been developing a stronger relationship with Jokia, Mae Perm and Hope but he still has plenty of time for his favourite female, Thai. Thai has been giving Max a lot of attention with her own special sounds. The younger elephants all love Max whether they are attracted to him because of his gentle nature or his huge size is difficult to tell but they love rubbing against him and being in his company.

Max appears to be entering the musth phase. This is occurring at about the same time as last year and is a clear indication that he is developing a regular cycle. It is a very positive sign as it indicates that he is in good health.

Max?s facial abscess remains an irritation despite regular treatment. In September a visiting elephant vet from India recommended a new treatment and the early signs are promising.

Max has a new one-elephant shelter in the area of the park he loves, built just for him, and to protect him from the sun and rain – he loves his new home. Every night he gets into the same position, his backside against the same post, waiting to be fed. His open-sided shelter has wood pillars with concrete bases for support, a dirt floor to cushion his feet, and a grass roof. Max’s great adventure in October, when he got loose by detaching his chain from the pole and taking it with him, saw him on a night forage for cucumbers and melons, and the destruction of 400 cotton plants – Max can move quickly when he wants to!

March 2005 – Max Attacked

While Max was in Musth he made a big mistake – attacking his long-term enemy Boon Khum. Boon Khum was forced to run scared as Max was unusually aggressive. Ever since Max has come out of Musth, Boon Khum has been seeking revenge. Things came to a climax when Max was with his mahout Karl and Boon Khum managed to escape the attentions of his own mahout. He saw the perfect opportunity and lunged at Max, beating him with his trunk. All Karl could do was call for help and try to get a very determined Bhun Khum away. Max?s desperate cries were finally heard by others and Bhun Khum was led away leaving Karl to try and comfort a terrified Max.

Max has been nervous for the last couple of days since this incident, but is slowly regaining his confidence and it will not be long before he is the centre of many elephants? affections once more.

February 2005 – Max In Musth

For the past two months, Max has been inflicted by the phenomenon known as musth. Our normally placid elephant has become unpredictable and aggressive. Even his beloved mahout, Karl, is not able to approach him. He has to be fed from a distance but he is not eating anymore than the bare minimum. Most of the other elephants are very wary of approaching Max in his condition, even the giant bull, Bhun Khum. The exception to this is Thai and Siam who often stand close to him and give him company. Max seems to appreciate their presence and shows no sign of impatience at their presence. We are unsure as to why this should be the case as they did not know each other before they came to the park. However all three elephants are from the same area of Thailand ? could it be that this commonality has led to a deeper emotional bond?

September 2004 – Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Despite being the rainy season in Thailand, the weather can still be unbearably hot. Being one of the 30 dogs at the Nature park is not much fun at times and having a fur coat makes the need to find shade a priority. Although there is plenty of shade available, the dogs have to be careful where they choose to sleep, as it is a well-known fact that elephants do not like dogs. All elephants apart from Max that is. Max became an instant hit with humans, the vast majority of the elephants love him and now the dogs have started to show affection for him. Max is so slow when he walks that some dogs have taken to lying under him as it is very cool. Not wanting to disturb them by stepping over the dogs, Max diverts his course and walks round them. The dogs simply follow Max to take advantage of the shade available. Once again, Max has shown that despite his imposing size he has an incredible gentle nature.

July 2004 – BK to Max’s rescue

Max occasionally has problems getting up after he has been lying down sleeping and unless he is resting by a tree. Getting a four ton elephant on his feet is quite a battle and requires assistance from another elephant. On one particular day, an elephant was called to his rescue, and although she had helped to pull him up many times before, could not manage it this time. A couple more were used but nothing seemed to be able to move Max. People were starting to get worried as it can be very dangerous for elephants to lie down for long periods as their heartbeat, which is incredibly slow anyway, will just stop. There was one option left ? Bhun Khum (BK) was called in. The sight of Bhun Khum coming towards Max while he was so vulnerable was too much for him, and without any assistance, leapt up and moved away from his giant rival as fast as his damaged leg would allow him.

June 2004 – An enemy for Max

Max may be a favourite with volunteers and visitors to the Nature Park, but there is one elephant that doesn’t agree with the majority. Bhun Khum is a mighty tusker who was brought into Lek?s care after poachers stole his tusks. He is much bigger than Max in terms of body weight and poor old Max finds this intimidating. Bhun Khum was showing early signs of musth and was becoming increasingly aggressive especially towards other elephants. During his pre-musth period, Max became the focus for his aggression. All of the Park?s elephants were being fed bananas ? a daily treat for them, when suddenly Bhun Khum charged at Max, knocking him over. Luckily, Max was unhurt although now he is terrified of Bhun Khum.

Bhun Khum is in full musth now and is kept away from all of the elephants and humans. This was not his normal behaviour and emphasises the dangerous effect musth can have on even the calmest elephant.

April 2004 – Max Relaxes Into His New Way of Life

When members of EleAid left Max last year, he was extremely thin, with a large abscess on his face. Although his leg was improving, he was still very slow on the ground. His abscess is now less than a quarter of its original size and he is gaining strength in his leg very quickly. His daily routine consists of walking and foraging, mud baths and bathing in the river. His mahout allows him to take as long as is necessary to walk anywhere and although Max has gained speed across ground, he is still inclined to be quite slow and is quite nervous around other elephants. He looks like a different elephant and has begun to show early signs of musth, such as showing slight aggression towards the dogs at the Park and blurred vision.

His abscess has been lanced and is cleaned daily with antiseptic. Although this is a very painful treatment, Max stands still and lets his mahout treat him – it is as though he knows it is for his own good. He always has a bag of bananas at treatment time and is quite content to stand and feast on these. Life for Max is fantastic now. He is well and truly enjoying his ?retirement? at the Nature Park.

July 2003 – New Friends Arrive

Max with new friends Max really is starting to look good. For the first time his ribs are finally disappearing beneath a wall of muscle and fat. It has taken six months but at last Max is putting on some weight. His build is never going to be stocky but at least he no longer looks starved. Two new friends have arrived and will be helping to look after Max. Karl and Michelle from Australia have moved permanently to the sanctuary. They are wonderful animal handlers and their presence is of huge benefit to Max and all of the elephants. Like everyone else they immediately fall for Max?s charming nature. He is life has certainly changed from some of the dark days he has suffered in the past.

June 2003 – The Most Popular Elephant in Camp!

There is huge activity at the Haven. Buildings are going up and people constantly come and go. High above Max’s head tree houses are being built to house visitors and international volunteers. Of all the elephants at the camp Max is proving to be the biggest hit. His striking height allied to his gentle and placid nature endear him to everyone he meets. He is a star!

May 2003 A Great Big Elephant Family

All of Lek’s elephants join Max at the new Haven. Max can’t believe it. He has not had an elephant family for forty years, not since he was taken from his mother. It is great to be with other elephants, after all they are highly social animals. The elephants seem to split into smaller family groups. One of the young elephants 3 year-old orphan Hope, is particularly taken with Max. He is dwarfed by the giant and rubs against his legs. Hope has a game of walking right underneath Max’s belly just like all those people long ago in Bangkok. Max?s old life seems a million years away.

April 2003 – Moving Again!!

Max has to move again but there is no cause for concern the new land is only five miles upriver. It is an exciting time for Lek and everyone at the Haven. A generous donor has given Lek the opportunity to obtain a wonderful piece of new land by the river and all the elephants will eventually live there. The land borders the forest where they roam so the elephants will still have the freedom of the jungle. Max is the first elephant to arrive and he is allowed to gorge himself in cornfield purchased with the site. There are some big trees for him to escape the sun and plenty of river in which he can swim. Max looks better and happier than he has ever done.

There is one scare – in Lek’s Chiang Mai office word is received that Max has collapsed causing a mad scramble for cars and a fifty-kilometre drive up the highway to the Haven. Everything is OK though. Max had lain down on the nice flat new land to have a nap and couldn’t get up again, because of his bad leg. It seems that Max needs to sleep on a slope to be able to push himself onto his feet. Karl, the mahout, had found him and Max had offered his trunk as if to say ‘give me a lift up mate’. As if a man could help a 4 ton elephant! Luckily help was on hand in the form of Lilley, one of the other elephants. Karl fetched her, and with a bit of an effort she managed to push him onto his feet. ‘Come on old man – up you get!’

March 2003 – Healing and Fame!

Karl, one of the Haven’s senior mahouts, is put in charge of Max and soon a rapid transformation takes place. The intensive care on his skin wounds is starting to pay dividends and the skin is healing quickly. The abscess on his cheek is lanced and cleaned daily; it too is showing signs of improvement.

The most marked sign though is Max’s speed over the ground. He still limps but he is three times quicker than when he arrived. The herbal treatment, wading in the river, slow walks in the mountains and a much better diet are combining to do the trick.

Max is also the subject of a short observational study by nature journalist, Douglas Chadwick, the author of ‘The Fate of the Elephant’ (Sierra Book Club 1992). Douglas spends a lot of time with Max and may write about him for National Geographic Magazine. Max is going to be famous!

February 2003 – Continuing Concern

A month down the line and Max is still struggling to show any improvement. If anything, his skin appears to be getting worse. It is peeling badly on his head and lower back. He has been brought deep into the forest shade to keep him permanently out of the sun. Max likes to wander in the fields of tall grass that is planted to feed the elephants. He gets plenty to eat but the sun ravages his flesh. He is being treated twice a day by a team made up of the mahouts and two visiting international vets.

Despite his injuries Max remains a gentle and loving animal. He loves human attention and lots of fuss. Everyone feels so sorry for him and tries to make up for all his suffering. We find out that he is particularly fond of pineapple jam sandwiches! We feed them to him at treatment time to take his mind off the pain.

January 2003 – Intensive Care

Max is not in imminent danger but he is far from fit. He receives round the clock attention. The Elephant Haven team makes sure he is fed a good diet and bathes his wounds daily. He has a nasty growth on the left hand side of his face and skin problems on his head and back.

His leg is very stiff and sometimes Max can be painfully slow, taking up to half an hour to walk 100 yards. The mahouts treat his leg with an herbal remedy. Leaves, roots and tree bark from certain plants are boiled up and left to cool. The mixture is then put in a Hessian sack and beaten against his bad leg. Initially we are highly sceptical but amazingly Max’s leg does seem to improve. Walking in the river is also starting to build his muscles.

Christmas 2002 Freedom – The Best Present of All

It is fantastic to see Max at his new home. The Elephant Haven consists of acres of forest where Lek’s elephants are allowed to roam free. The mahouts have set up camp by the river so it is easy for Max to have a bath. Everyone takes great joy in his arrival and through misguided kindness we over feed him on rich fruits. The mahouts take command and he is gradually introduced to a better diet and given plenty of elephant grass.

Max loves the river and when Lek’s other elephants come down to the river for their baths the female members of the herd take quite a fancy to the new arrival. Both Lilly and Mae Keaw take a great interest in Max, feeling him all over with their trunks. Max is only too happy to repay the compliment!

There is deep concern over Max’s health – he is so thin and his skin is in very poor condition. It will take him a long time to recover but he has that time now and he has the greatest gift of all – after 42 years Max is finally free!

20th – 21st December 2002 A Nightmare Journey

Eventually the paper work came through and Max is given permission to move. Lek sent a trained team to Surin to fetch Max the distance of nearly a thousand kilometres to his new home. Max travelled in a very large truck ! But it was not an easy journey. The drive took 36 hours with three turns at the wheel or sleeping. Max’s condition was monitored throughout the trip. The truck had to drive very slowly to protect Max’s eyes from the wind and made frequent stops so he could have food and water. Nevertheless it was very uncomfortable.

Max arrived very late at night and he was in a terrible condition. He was much thinner that he had been a month earlier when we had last seen him. He also has sores on his back caused, we later learned, by sunburn. When he got off the truck for the last time we were all elated but Max was nervous, tired and withdrawn. We decided to leave him for the night in the company of five of the Haven mahouts. They spoke and sang to him with gentle voices to let him know he was safe and among friends.

Late November – December 2002 EleAid’s First Elephant!

Over the next week Chas and Rachel saw Max several times. They were utterly smitten with him. He was very weak and thin but his loving gentle character shined through his physical problems. He still purred with pleasure when he received attention and he ate the gifts of bananas, sugarcane and watermelon with great gusto. Lek from the Elephant Nature Park flew to Surin and agreed that Max was in urgent need of care. She promised to provide a permanent home for him in her beautiful forest sanctuary, known as Elephant Haven. Over the next week we concluded negotiations and signed a contract to buy Max. It was so thrilling to be able to give this wonderful gentle creature a new life.

Despite years of experience with elephants Lek had never seen an Asian elephant as tall as Max. To mark his new life we decided to give him a new name. For an elephant as big what name could be more appropriate than ‘Maximus’, especially when the full scientific name of the species is ‘Elephas maximus’! Naturally it was immediately shortened to ‘Max’.

He had suffered so much over his past 42 years but now he was going to live in peace. If the excellent care the elephants receive on Lek’s program is able to heal him, Max could have another thirty quality years of life. We know his leg will never recover, but his general health will improve and his mental state will improve beyond measure. He may even be able to become a father!

Once the deal was signed we had to leave Max in the care of his old owners while we got the necessary government permissions for Max move to the sanctuary.

17th November 2002 – We Finally Meet Max

Every November the city of Surin hosts the annual Elephant Round-Up, the world’s largest elephant festival. Chas and Rachel were visiting the festival and were looking to save two street elephants. In the evening they were touring a huge temporary elephant camp when a mahout approached them and offered to show them his elephant.

It was a pitch-black night and they could vaguely make out the shape of an elephant standing beneath a tall tree. As they approached their jaws fell open in astonishment – of the hundreds of elephants they had seen they had never seen such tall elephant, he was majestic, truly awesome.

He was so tall that Rachel could barely reach his face but standing on tiptoe, she reached up and stroked the giant’s face. They were not prepared for what happened next – Max roared. It was not aggressive or defensive, it was the most wonderful roar of pleasure, like a cat purring. As Rachel continued to stoke him he repeated it again and again. It was truly beautiful and brought tears to their eyes.

Chas jokingly asked if he was for sale and was stunned when the answer immediately came back as ‘yes’. Then they learned about poor Max’s leg. That didn’t matter – they had fallen in love with the gentle giant and were determined to buy him and give him a new life at the Elephant Nature Park Sanctuary in Chiang Mai Province.

2001 to 2002 A Family Pet!

A nice Thai family from Surin bought Max. They were impressed by his size, and owning the second tallest elephant in the country brought them great prestige. The family thought they could heal him and they could earn money from offering rides to tourists. They took him to their house and Max lived in their garden! Luckily they had a lake at the bottom of their garden where Max could have a regular bath.

The family had Max seen by a vet and they were able to make him more comfortable. With care, he slowly began to recover. He started to feel happier that he was being well cared for. Kind treatment lessened the effect of his constant pain. However, the family soon started to suffer the costs of keeping an elephant. The food and medical bills began to mount up and the vet confirmed that Max would never walk properly again. The family would never earn money from Max, he would never be able to give rides.

The family wanted to sell him but there were no offers – who wants to buy a crippled elephant? Even one as striking as Max…

May to December 2000 – Months of Pain and Suffering

Max’s leg was permanently damaged by the crash. He will be permanently crippled. He spent months in agony. There was not enough money to pay for a vet to tend him and the mahout did not know how to help. Slowly and painfully though Max managed to stand and learn to walk again but he was very slow and could no longer walk the streets. Eventually he sold him and Max went to live in the northeastern province of Surin.

April 2000 – The Final Indignity

Max and his mahout stayed at a camp on the outskirts of the city and every night trudged down the super highway to sell fruit for their living. It was dark and out of nowhere roared an eighteen-wheel truck. Despite the size of the awesome creature before him, the driver saw Max too late. He hit the elephant’s right front leg from behind. The elephant’s scream was drowned by a screech of brakes and Max was dragged five metres along the road. Max was slumped unconscious, battered and bleeding by the side of the road. Max’s mahout who had been walking beside him was lucky to be unharmed and he rushed to the side of his stricken animal. The police and medical personnel attended the scene but try as they might they could not help the animal but Max could not rise.

The giant had been felled, just like the teak trees he had once dragged through the forest.

1999 – Life by the Beach

By 1999 the Thai public were growing increasingly concerned at the number of elephants in Bangkok. Responding to these concern the Thai authorities made a concerted effort to get the elephants out of Bangkok. Fearing arrest, Max’s mahout rented a truck to take him out of the city. Poor Max did not return to his beloved jungle but was taken to Pattaya, a beach resort city on the gulf of Thailand. Max saw the sea for the first time and for a while offered elephant rides on the beach. This is terrible for elephants. Hot sand is very painful on the soles of their sensitive feet and the bright sun and lack of shade is very harmful to their eyes. Some beach elephants in Pattaya and Phuket have gone blind. In the evenings Max trudged the wild streets of Pattaya’s raucous entertainment district. Drunken tourists, blaring music, exhaust choked cars, bright neon and flashing lights – Max’s soul is dying.

1995 to 1999 – The Bangkok Beggar

Times are very bad. Max and his mahout are struggling to earn enough money to feed themselves. Like many others they decide that the only alternative to is to go to the cities to beg. Max travels to Bangkok where his mahout sells bananas and sugarcane for city folk and tourists to feed to the elephant. Max is popular on the city streets. Walking under an elephants belly three times is considered lucky in Thailand and because of his great height this is very easy with Max. Max and the mahout scrape a living as many people walk underneath him but much of the work is at night; the hours are long and the work hard. Max works in the Silom and Patpong entertainment districts. The streets are full of loud noise, lots of people and traffic. It is a very unnatural environment for an elephant. The city is very unhealthy for the elephants; they live on wasteland among rubbish and pollution. Toxins from car exhausts cover all the vegetation. Max suffers from stomach problems and his health deteriorates quite dramatically. He is still a very gentle elephant but he in the urban environment Max is depressed and sad. The city is no place for a creature of the forest.

1991to 1994 – A Wandering Itinerant

Max’s new owner takes him all over Thailand in a desperate search for work and the gentle giant performs all kinds of tasks. Many elephants find work in the tourist industry giving rides and performing in shows and for a short time Max does some trekking but he has not been trained for this occupation and competition for jobs is tough. There is much less food and Max is often hungry.

1990 – Unemployed!

In 1990, Max is set for a life working in logging but the Thai government passes a law to ban the industry. The remaining forests in Thailand are rapidly being cut down; in some areas this has led to landslides, flooding and many deaths. The government also wants to preserve its remaining forestland, which has been decimated by the loggers.

The problem is poor Max is now out of work and his mahout cannot afford to feed him. These are dark days for lots of elephants and Max is sold to a new owner.

1978 to 1989 – The Heavy Work Years

At the age of 18, life for Max gets tougher. He is now almost fully grown and although he does not the biggest frame he certainly has the tallest! Max is the second tallest elephant in the whole of Thailand.

He still does some transport work but now he is carrying far greater weight, sometimes up to 700 kilos, the weight of ten people!

He also does some dragging work. The great teak trees are felled and Max has to drag the huge logs through the jungle. Sometimes the logs have to be pulled to the nearest road and the elephants work together to lift them onto huge trucks. More often though they are dragged to the river and stacked in neat rows. When the rainy season comes the river will rise and the logs will be carried downstream to the timber mills, they will float hundreds of miles all the way to Bangkok.

Max works hard and has to eat huge amounts of food; he is very fit. By 1989 he is 28 years old and approaching his physical prime. He is a mighty giant.

1972 to 1977 – Max Goes to Work

After his tenth year, Max’s basic training is over and he is put to work. He starts with light duties, as he will not be fully-grown until he is at least 18. Elephants that are put on heavy work too early will not grow properly. Max has varied duties but with his long legs he is quicker over the ground than the others and is mainly used as a transport elephant. The logging teams work deep in the forests and the only way to get supplies to them is to use the elephants to carry food and other essentials through the jungle. Max travels all over northern Thailand. Some journeys can take days or even weeks!

1965 to 1971 – The Training Years

The days with his mother seem long gone. Max and his mahout have joined other young elephants and they are all learning how to work in the logging industry. There is so much to learn. Max must get used to wearing chains – not only will he be tethered with chains to stop him wandering, he must also have to wear them as a harness that he will use to drag the giant teak logs. He must also get used to the ankus, an iron hook that will be used to control him. If an elephant is trained properly the ankus is not a cruel tool, it is used to guide the elephant rather than to beat him. Max is lucky, he has a good mahout and although he is firm with Max he does not treat him badly.

The young elephants learn how to drag, stack and move logs around. They are taught to work as individuals and in teams. Elephants are so clever, and they soon learn the tasks they are required to perform. The best elephants can recognize sixty different commands! Max is still amazing people with his growth. He is by far the tallest elephant of his age and is even bigger than some several years older than himself. He is also a highly gentle animal, some of the others are difficult to handle and even aggressive to their trainers but Max has the perfect temperament.

1964 – Max gets his First Mahout

The camp allocates Max a mahout. This is very sad for Max as he must leave his mother for good. It is very early for them to part but Max’s mother has been assigned work in a new forest and Max will not go with her. From now on the mahout will take the place of Max’s mother. He will be his keeper and they will spend their lives together working in the timber forests. Many mahouts will spend all their lives with one elephant. They become family to each other, man and elephant working as a team, and they form very strong bonds. Max is depressed at the loss of his mother.

His mahout notices that Max is only has two tiny tusks. He is going to be a ‘sidor’ or tuskless male. This occurs sometimes in male Asian elephants and is considered good luck. Male elephants without tusks are often very big and strong as they have extra energy to put into building their bodies and trunks. he mahout also notes Max is very tall for his age he also has very long legs and will be a fast walking elephant. They start to get to know one another and the mahout is kind but he still desperately misses his mother.

1963 Max’s Second Year – His Mother goes back to work

Sometimes Max is allowed to accompany his mother while she is working in the forest but he can get in the way so he is often left back at the camp with only human company. Max is growing all the time he is much bigger now and the camp mahout have started training him to obey their commands. Max realizes that it is people who are in charge. One day Max himself will have to go to work.

Max is now over a year old and his life is about to get harder. His mother is needed back on logging duties so his carefree baby days are coming to an end. He is still very young and although he has started eating grass he still wants to drink his mum’s milk.Sometimes Max is allowed to accompany his mother while she is working in the forest but he can get in the way so he is often left back at the camp with only human company. Max is growing all the time he is much bigger now and the camp mahout have started training him to obey their commands. Max realizes that it is people who are in charge. One day

Max himself will have to go to work.

1962 Max’s First Year – Learning to be an elephant!

The big baby elephant’s first year is exciting and new. He learns what it means to be an elephant. There are many elephants in the logging camp and as a youngster Max is at the bottom of the heap. For a long time he does not stray far from his mother. She is very protective of her offspring and he spends most of his time playing around her legs. He is still feeding on his mother’s milk but as the year goes on the camp mahouts are trying to get him to start eating vegetation. They want Max’s mother to get back to work.

The camp decides to give the baby elephant a name. In traditional Thai style they choose four names and write them of different pieces of sugarcane. They are laid before the baby for him to choose. He picks the third piece and his new name is Pang Somboon, meaning ‘Mr. Strong’. It is appropriate as the elephant is growing at an incredible rate. No one in the whole camp has ever seen a young elephant this big!

1961 Max is born!

On a joyous day in the Tak province in Northern Thailand, a beautiful baby elephant is born. Max’s mother is a hard working timber elephant and has been carrying a baby inside her for 22 months. With six months of her pregnancy to go, she was put on light duties and then in the final month she is excused work completely. It is important to everyone that the baby is born healthy as he will grow up to work in the forests, dragging felled logs. For now, all that is in the future as elephants and humans alike share in the delight of a new baby.

Elephants are family animals and have very close relations. The other adult females all gather round the mother and admire her new baby. They are all astonished at his size – he is huge! He can already stand and walk although he is still a little unsteady on his feet. Max is a metre tall and weighs 120 kilos, the weight of a very big man and he is only one day old! He needs as much as he can get as he is going to grow up to be the second tallest elephant in the whole of Thailand!