Thong Khoun

History: Came from Hongsa district. He used to work in the logging industry together with Boun Pheng for many years. After working in the logging industry, they worked for a construction company in Vientiane for about 2 years. This construction company had payment problems, so the bank took both males as a payment for their debts.  The bank didn’t know what to do with these 2 males, so they contacted the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO) since they are the ones that control the captive elephant population in Laos. A PAFO official contacted our staff, and asked us if we would be interested in rescuing them. A few months later, both males arrived to the ECC with their old mahouts and they are currently part of the ECC breeding program.

Distinguishing features: average size with very long tusks

Personality traits: Thong Khoun is calm but can become suddenly stressed if he feels unsafe. Aside from his mahout, people cannot touch him. Because he was badly treated and likely beaten before coming to the center, he has some apprehension when people want to touch him. We are still working to know more about his history.

Paternity: no known calves

  • Gender: Male
  • Year of birth: 1973
  • Arrived at the ECC: May 2018
  • Weight: 2640 kg
Thong Khoun