Elephants are often taken from their families and forced to do hard labor in Asian countries. One such elephant was named Nam Phon. Nam Phon had been born in the wild in the 1950s. Taken from her family at a young age, she was used in the logging industry. To get elephants to work, they often go through a process known as “crush.”

Image Credit: Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
The elephants are beaten and mistreated until they do what they are told. Their spirits are literally crushed. Once they are ‘crushed,’ the elephants are put to work – hard work.

Image Credit: Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
Nam Phon worked for decades before being rescued and taken to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) last spring.

Image Credit: Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
Sadly, the more the 55-year-old elephant passed away last weekend.

Image Credit: Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand