Left behind Lone calves a cause for concern

One abandoned baby elephant has drawn public attention to the pressures facing herds in Asia

- By Ana Norman Bermúdez SUPHAN BURI

Khao Tom, a two-month-old elephant, plays with a wildlife officer, nudging his face and curling her trunk around his wrist. When she lifts her trunk in the air, signalling that she is hungry, the team at the rescue centre seems relieved - she has not been eating well. A vet prepares a pint-sized bottle of formula, which she gulps down impatiently.

Khao Tom has been in the care of Thailand's national parks and wildlife department since September, when rangers rescued her from a farming area inside Lam Khlong Ngu national park. Born with a congenital disorder affecting her knees, she struggled to keep up with the herd. Within days of her birth, her mother had moved on without her.

"We didn't think she would make it," said Natthanon Panpetch, senior veterinarian and director of the Bueng Chawak wildlife rescue centre. The calf had abrasions all over her body where her mother had tried to drag her through the forest to keep up with the herd and a digestive infection had left her extremely weak.

She survived thanks to round-the-clock care and a diet of rice porridge - khao tom in Thai. As the team shared updates on social media, the Thai public rallied behind the elephant calf, sending toys, formula and donations.

Khao Tom's case is not an isolated incident. In 2025, the media reported on at least five other elephant calves in Thailand that were lost or abandoned.