STEF starts free veterinary service

At last the day arrived, despite Covid and the inevitable problems it has caused with logistics, and the STEF Veterinary Officer, Dr Aon, was able to load up the Mobile Clinic. With her colleagues, Dr Aon drove out into the villages of Phang Nga Province to introduce herself and STEF to the local elephant communities.

She had a very warm welcome everywhere. At her very first stop, near Khao Lak, there were six adult elephants and a beautiful 8-month calf called Kor Yaa (her name means Tuft of grass), all happily fit and well. Then it was on to other villages, where Dr Aon met so many elephants. We were  delighted to be able to give the very grateful owners an Elephant Medical Box for first aid treatment, generously supplied by Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science and Elephant Research and Education Centre. It has been a tough time for elephants since lockdown began in Thailand, and income is scarce. Dr Aon’s visit was a surprise and we are sure the community will be relieved to have such expert support near at hand.

Here is a videoclip of Dr Aon at work today. We hope the clip will give a feel for the location and the people we are aiming to help with our free vet services.