Work nears completion on the roof of the Elephant Barn at the veterinary centre at Ban Ton Sae
In spite of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, the tiled roof for the elephant barn at the veterinary centre has now been completed – with sighs of relief all round. The rainy season in Thailand is due to begin soon, so the battle was on to get the roof finished before the really heavy rains start. Everything had been going nicely to plan until the Coronavirus lockdown imposed strict regulations on travel between provinces in Thailand, which meant that our original roofing contractor wasn’t allowed to travel from his base in Phuket to Phang Nga province where the elephant veterinary centre is being built.
Fortunately, Jakrapob Thaotad, our Trustee in Thailand who is overseeing the Veterinary Centre project, managed to enlist the help of another recommended roofing contractor who has stepped in the complete the job. They were based in Songkhla, sone six hours to the south, near the Malaysian border. They stayed locally and it took them just three days to get the tiling in place on this massive, 17m x 11m (x 5.5m high) construction.
The barn is where sick or injured elephants will be treated, and the next task will be to lay the reinforced concrete floor and fix the stocks, rings and rails. Elephants will arrive at the centre by truck, but for those unable to travel, there will also be a mobile veterinary clinic available. This community project will provide free medical care to all elephants in the region.
