When Chaba, a newborn elephant, first stepped into a small plastic tub filled with freshwater, it was unlike anything she’d ever known.
Chaba was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in a small concrete pen at an elephant riding camp. Bunga, BunMa’s mother, was compelled to do daily demonstrations for tourists, including riding a bike, drawing portraits, and performing circus tricks.
If Save Elephant Foundation rescuers hadn’t intervened, Chaba’s destiny would have been the same.
“When our team heard about Chaba’s and BunMa’s condition, we went to the camp to see what we could do to aid them,” Ry Emmerson, Save Elephant Foundation’s projects director, told The Dodo. “We discovered the mother and infant in a small concrete pen with little enrichment and the mother chained. It was evident right away that they were both in poor health and need emergency assistance.”
In August, the Save Elephant Foundation’s founder secured the family’s release and rescued them. BunMa was afraid of being separated from her baby and refused to get into the truck, which the rescuers planned to take them to Elephant Nature Park (ENP).
Emmerson explained, “We determined it was safer for them to walk to our sanctuary.” “They arrived at ENP after two hours of walking and were greeted with an elephant cake.”
Chaba was given her first bath after finishing her dessert. The look of utter happiness on the 4-month-old elephant’s face astounded everyone.
“Chaba is a true water baby!” exclaims the narrator. According to Emmerson. “She enjoyed splashing in the water and then rushing back to Mum for comfort. She now enjoys playing basketball in the splash pool while her mother enjoys some delectable fruit treats.”
Chaba and her mother now have the freedom to interact with other elephants, forage for food, and roll about in mud puddles.
But nothing makes Chaba happier than her small pool.
“She enjoys splashing around in the water,” Save Elephant Foundation stated on Facebook. “Mom takes a break from playing and relaxes for a bit. She’s becoming more self-assured and learning a lot.”