by Meet Pancake, once a stray dog wandering the streets of Thailand she is now a very important part of the Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES).
“She was a stray on the beach who was picked on by other dogs,” Katherine Connor, founder and CEO of Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES), told The Dodo.
When a supporter of the sanctuary found Pancake, she asked Connor if she would take the dog. “Of course I said yes!” Connor said. “Pancake has been my shadow ever since.”
The animals in the sanctuary, which are mostly elephants, are used to the numerous arrivals and departures that occur there. For instance, Sao Noi, the elephant who was rescued from a tourist camp in Thailand, resided at the sanctuary.
Two years later, it was Boon Thong’s time to say goodbye to the sanctuary. Just like her friend Sao Noi, she wasn’t alone in her last moments, having Pancake by her side right to the end.
Pancake, who is clearly not an elephant, enjoys the peace and calm in the sanctuary which means she fits in perfectly. So Pancake and Katherine Connor sat with Boon Thong for hours and hours as they remembered her life and said their goodbyes.
Boon Thong, who was in her 60s, lived the last five years of her life at the sanctuary after being sᴀᴠᴇᴅ from a riding camp, where she was forced to give rides to tourists. Because of this her spine surffered a lot of damage and was about to break. Fortunately, he came to BLES where he was able to lead a life of peace and learn to know the things he liked.
“Pancake, with that beautiful heart, did not leave Katherine or Boon Thong alone once. She knew it was necessary, to offer support. And she stayed silent with the elephant, until sunset, until the last encouragement”. These were the words that BLES officials wrote on their social networks.
As a tribute, her grave was filled with fruits and flowers. In addition, her ʙᴏᴅʏ will rest next to the ʙᴏᴅʏ of her good friend Saint Noi, and in the place where she can finally be happy and lead a full life.
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