The Story of the White Elephant and the King of Thailand

Dwaila originally came to Thailand with the US Peace Corps to work on an entomology project and hopefully to complete her masters degree.

After her Peace Corps training, it was decided by her supervisors that she would probably not be happy in the confined environment of a university.  They selected, instead, a project that had been started in a forest reserve in Southern Thailand that involved the setting up of the first nature education center in Southeast Asia.  The original founder of the project was about to leave and needed a replacement, so Dwaila was sent down to have a look.  That was the last they heard from her for a couple months. She had become the overseer of a small zoo. Her German counterpart helped by organizing interactive projects for the students who would be using the center.

During this time in Thailand, wild elephants were still being captured for the illegal logging trade. A mother elephant had been captured in the area, but the poachers did not want the 6 month old baby, so they lied and said that they had found it, and then gave it to the Royal Thai Forest Department.   It was sent to the education center to be included in the small zoo.  Dwaila was given the responsibility of overseeing and taking care of the baby elephant.  After about one and a half  years, a guest from the Royal Palace who had come to visit the project, noticed the baby elephant and became very excited.

 The amazing part of the story is that it was a very rare white elephant, considered to be a portent of exceptional good luck and a symbol of royalty.   Dwaila was invited to the palace to participate in the presentation ceremony whereby the white elephant would be formally given to the King of Thailand. In recognition of her important role in raising the elephant, she received a medal from the King himself.

There is a picture of Dwaila and the King on display in the dining room at Punjen Hide-Away.