Famous tsunami "miracle" elephant now living in Kanchanaburi

[webfact]

Famous tsunami "miracle" elephant now living in Kanchanaburi


Image: tnamcot

KANCHANABURI: -- The famous elephant called "Ning Nong" who saved a little English girl from the tsunami of 2004 has bee found living in a camp in Kanchanaburi.

Amid the disaster of the Boxing Day tragedy that killed thousands the "miracle" story of then eight year old Amber Owen touched the heart of millions. The girl was staying at a Phuket hotel where Ning Nong did shows reported tnamcot. She had been feeding the elephant that fateful morning and then was riding on its back when the water started receding.

Like many animals Ning Nong sensed trouble and immediately took off for high ground with Amber on his back before the huge waves struck. She was later reunited with her parents. Apparently the family have never been back to visit.

Ning Nong, now called Bai Tong, was transferred to the Somnuk Camp in Sai Yok district of Kanchanaburi after the hotel could not adequately care for his needs anymore. Somnuk Sukchana the owner of the camp said that the elephant was a very intelligent creature that was very popular.

Source: tnamcot

-- 2016-06-02

[Srikcir]

Of course the elephant wasn't trying to save Amber but itself as it instinctively headed for high ground.

Sad that Ning Nong wasn't allowed to be free but merely transferred to another camp.

[Siamwhiteelephant]

Not a white elephant of unjustifiable high maintenance then ; worth his weight in gold many times over for rescuing Amber in the instinctive process of escaping danger. No wonder he was renamed from being Ning Nong, an inappropriate reflection on his intelligence.

[brommers]

One can only hope that he is able to live a natural life, free from the predations of uncaring exploitative Thai people who see animals as a way to earn money. Buddhists they are not but they go to the temple frequently to buy karma, while torturing innocent sentient creatures.

[thai3]

so what was the miracle then?

[webfact]

Baby elephant which saved a British schoolgirl from tsunami has been found



BANGKOK: -- The baby elephant which helped save the life of an eight-year old British schoolgirl, Amber Owen, from a devastating tsunami which struck the western coast of southern Thailand 12 years ago has been located in Kanchanaburi.

Ning Nong, the name given to the baby elephant when it was at a hotel in Phuket, is now an adult elephant and has a new name, Bai Tong. She is now a darling of both Thai and foreign tourists at an elephant’s camp in Saiyok district of Kanchanaburi because she is friendly and tame.

Its new owner, Mr Somnoek Sudchana, said that the original owner in Phuket could not afford to feed Ning Nong as it grew up and decided to send her to his camp.

Ning Nong has been wellknown in the social media for saving Amber Owen from the deadly tsunami when it struck Phuket on Christmas Day in 2004.

Amber Owen who was on vacationing in Phuket with her family was riding on the back of Ning Nong when the giant waves struck the Phuket coast. The elephant reportedly ran toward the high ground and duck behind a high wall until the tsunami subsided.

The incredible bond between Ning Nong and the British schoolgirl inspired Michael Morpurgo’s sequel to War Horse

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/165773

-- Thai PBS 2016-06-03

[The stuttering parrot]

Should have been relocated to the elephant nature park Chiang Mai.

After the cruelty being highlighted at the tiger temple its high time they put the exploitation of elephant cruelty all in the name of the tourist dollar.

[Assurancetourix]

" The elephant reportedly ran toward .... "

An elephant never run; he cannot ;

he walks, sometimes fast but never run .

[Usernames]

After seeing what happened to the gorilla, the elephant is probably thinking just leave me the hell alone.

[ggt]

Lucky young girl...

It is interesting to me...that the animals knew the danger was coming and reacted to it to save their lives...while humans ran toward the water as the water receded...putting them in imminent danger...

Why is that?

[Siamwhiteelephant]

Lucky young girl...

It is interesting to me...that the animals knew the danger was coming and reacted to it to save their lives...while humans ran toward the water as the water receded...putting them in imminent danger...

Why is that?

Appears that animals have preserved their instinct ability as part of their survival defence mechanism whereas, from long ago, humans had all but lost innate instinct and relied more on reasoning. Our natural curiosity of something rare may lead us into danger when we don’t realize the imminent danger. ....

Anybody else ammend or add to that?

[mojorison]

Deep frozen?

[Siamwhiteelephant]

" The elephant reportedly ran toward .... "

An elephant never run; he cannot ;

he walks, sometimes fast but never run .

True. Elephants can’t really run. The average fit human can run up to 24 kph. The Asian elephant can trot at 25 kph (African Bush elephant at 40 kph). So I think the elephant was going places fast enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUE304bqwQc

[JacChang]

Lucky young girl...

It is interesting to me...that the animals knew the danger was coming and reacted to it to save their lives...while humans ran toward the water as the water receded...putting them in imminent danger...

Why is that?

Humans need to get closer so they can take a better picture with their phones and post it on facebook.

[Johnpound46]

" The elephant reportedly ran toward .... "

An elephant never run; he cannot ;

he walks, sometimes fast but never run .

Elephants can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h. I'd call that running, especially if it came charging after me, because I can not run that fast.

[JacChang]

Humans seriously need to start evolving fast. We need to start running faster than elephants and tsunamis or we're over.

[facthailand]

I'm awfully glad this young elephant had the instincts to save himself. The girl was a lucky add-on.

I'm one of those who supported the Tiger Temple and now I find I may have been wrong. I wish Ning Nong live out her life in a natural place of peace and safety.

[Mook23]

I hate elephants camps... All domesticated elephants have suffered in the "taming" process. I love elephants. I ve seen them on the wild in India, Malaysia and Thailand. Majestical!