Rescued Elephant Kabu Settles Into Her New Life and Enjoys a Full Body Scrub (PHOTOS)

Last month, we reported on the beautiful rescue story of Kabu, an elephant who had been forced to work in the illegal logging trade in Thailand for over twenty years. Throughout that time, she hauled heavy logs up and down jungle trails with a crippled leg, and every day of her life was filled with pain. It is believed that she – like so many other elephants who are put to work in the tourism and logging industries – was taken from her mother at young age.

When Lek Chailert of the amazing elephant rescue organization, Elephant Nature Park (ENP), heard of Kabu’s plight, she was determined to do whatever she could to help. At the time of Kabu’s removal from her abusive situation, Chailert said, “It took almost half a day to walk Kabu to the truck. It was not easy for her to step on the transport as she was scared and confused. She must have wondered what would happen to her next. Now she is in the truck (on the way to) our home. From today: no more fear, no more pain, no more chain or work.”

And now it appears that Kabu is reveling in her new-found freedom! ENP recently posted a series of photographs to their Facebook page, showing just how happy she is in her sanctuary home. They said, “Kabu has been enjoying a full body scrub, and no spot was left unscratched. With time to wander around the park and make trips to the river, Kabu is settling into Elephant life.”

Here she is, enjoying a bit of quality me-time.

Even from simply looking at this photograph, her delight at being free is palpable.

Well … her carers did say that no spot was left unscratched!

Kabu loves to ramble at leisure around her new home…

… and of course, pay homage to her beloved scratching post!

The smile on her face speaks a thousand words.

“O, sweet scratching post … say we’ll never be parted!”

Without the fear of constant work hanging over her, Kabu now has the freedom to kick up those heels whenever she likes.

She appears to be indulging in a spot of elephant yoga here – a lady has got to keep those muscles toned!

“I like big butt (scratches), and I cannot lie…”

It is wonderful to see that even after enduring over two decades of abuse and pain, Kabu is now happy, carefree, and able to enjoy her new life to the full. It is truly a testament to the dedication and patience of the ENP staff and volunteers – as well as the love of Kabu’s fellow pachyderm residents – that they have been able to help her adjust to sanctuary life within such a short span of time.

Let’s hope that Kabu has many years of peace, serenity, good health, and butt-scratching ahead of her … and that she will never have to endure any form of cruelty again.

To find out more about ENP’s life-saving work, click here. And if you want to know how you can Support them, visit the How You Can Help section of their website, or check out their Facebook page.

All Image Source: Elephant Nature Park/Facebook