Animals can form unique and powerful bonds with each other, regardless of their species. This was evident in the touching story of a dog refuses to be sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ from his elephant friend in his ʟᴀsᴛ ʜᴏᴜʀs. The story captured people’s hearts worldwide, highlighting animals’ emotional depth and intelligence.
A Dog Named Pancake Has Been An Essential Part Of An Elephant Sanctuary!
“She was a sᴛʀᴀʏ on the beach who other dogs ᴘɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ on,” Katherine Connor, founder and CEO of Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) told The Dodo.
When a supporter of the sanctuary found Pancake, she asked Connor if she would take the dog. “Of course, I said yes!” Connor said. “Pancake has been my sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡ ever since.”
The people and animals at BLES are no strangers to the arrivals and departures, mainly since the sanctuary focuses on taking in elderly elephants after they can no longer work.
For instance, a couple of years ago, when an elderly elephant named Sao Noi was ᴘᴀssɪɴɢ ᴀᴡᴀʏ, her friend, Boon Thong, was seen standing next to her, stroking her with her trunk to comfort her.
Nearly Two Years Later, Boon Thong’s Time Of Need Arrived
And thankfully, she had individuals who were there by her side the way she had been for her friend.
When Pancake realized elephant friend wasn’t feeling well, she hurried to be with her.
While she is far from being an elephant, Pancake has also enjoyed the sanctuary’s peace and calm, which lends a sense of commonality among the animals sᴀᴠᴇᴅ by BLES.
And so Pancake and Connor sat with Boon Thong for hours this week as they did the most challenging work of all — remembering her ʟɪꜰᴇ and ultimately saying goodbye.
Boon Thong, who was in her 60s, lived the last five years at the sanctuary after being sᴀᴠᴇᴅ from a ʀɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴄᴀᴍᴘ, where she was ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ to give rides to tourists.
“She was used to ᴄᴀʀʀʏ tourists on her ʙᴀᴄᴋ for hours on end, and after doing this for almost 30 years, she nearly ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ her ʙᴀᴄᴋ,” Connor explained.
She was ᴇxʜᴀᴜsᴛᴇᴅ when Boon Thong arrived at the sanctuary five years ago.
But Soon, Boon Thong Learned How Different The Sanctuary Was From The Life She Had Known!
At the sanctuary, she was finally free to learn her likes and dislikes and roam and forage in the forest — all things she hadn’t been able to do for most of her ʟɪꜰᴇ.
“She was free to be in ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ of her own life, to make her own decisions, to express herself,” Connor wrote in a tribute this week.
“Boon Thong was a creature of habit. She had her favorite spots in our release areas that she would always gravitate to during our daily walks. She always sᴄʀᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ on the same tree and stopped at the same spot in the stream to ᴛʜʀᴏᴡ mud all over herself.”
Connor And Pancake Sat With Boon Thong For Nine Hours
Boon Thong wouldn’t have ɢɪᴠᴇɴ up her ʟɪꜰᴇ at the sanctuary for anything — and when she lay ᴅᴏᴡɴ this week, it was only because she finally had to ʟᴇᴛ her ʟɪꜰᴇ go.
Connor and Pancake sat with Boon Thong for nine hours while she slowly ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ.
“Pancake, with that beautiful heart of hers, did not ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ Katherine or Boon Thong once,” BLES wrote on Facebook. “She knew she was needed, to offer support, and she quietly lay beside Boon Thong until sunset — until the final ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ.”
Boon Thong’s ʙᴏᴅʏ was ʙᴜʀɪᴇᴅ on the sanctuary grounds, surrounded by fruit and flowers, and beside her old friends — including Sao Noi — so she could always be close to the individuals who loved her.
The bond between Pancake and Boon Thong is a testament to animals’ incredible emotional depth and intelligence.
Their story touched people’s hearts worldwide and reminded us of the importance of treating all animals with kindness and respect.
As Pancake and Boon Thong’s story shows, animals can form unique and powerful bonds, and we should do all we can to protect and honor those connections.