La ker Por! - Chiangmai Elephant Land

A second elephant birth at Chiang Mai Elephant Land in four weeks!

Mo Kee Ler, our 14 year old female elephant who came to us at one year into her pregnancy has also given birth to a healthy male calf on the full moon night of the 15th November, 2024. This was a very special birthday since it also coincided with Loi Krathong, the “Festival of Lights”, which celebrates the goddess of water and the Buddha’s hair pagoda in heaven. Because our new calf was born on such a special night, we named him “La Ker Por” which translates to “Moonlight shines” in Karen hill tribe language.

As expected, the new calf was unable to latch on the mothers single deformed nipple and could not feed properly. After three days of bottle feeding and trying to assist the calf, the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Foundation Hospital [1] agreed to accept mum and baby immediately and help with the feeding issue. On the night following their arrival at the hospital (18 Novemebr 2024), staff helped the calf to take his first full feed from mum. We are very grateful to FAE, and Mo Kee Ler and her calf are receiving the best possibe care. Mum and baby may still need to remain at the hospital for between three and 12 months until doctors are confident that the baby can feed unaided. We will keep you updated on La Ker Por’s progress.

1. Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation, FAE Hospital. Details available at: https://friendsoftheasianelephantfoundation.com/