“From Crisis to Celebration: The Incredible Birth Story of Baby Elephant Pang Joobjang".
The mother elephant, Pang Muk, had been experiencing engorged mammary glands and constant milk flow for four days leading up to labor. She showed signs of distress, crying out and becoming agitated due to her inexperience as a first-time mother. At 11:00 PM on March 21, 2025, she went into labor, displaying pain and frustration. Throughout the process, the Nongnooch Elephant Sanctuary staffs remained on high alert, assisting in pulling the baby elephant out to prevent the mother from accidentally stepping on it. They quickly cleared mucus from the newborn’s mouth and trunk, stimulated its breathing, and used cloth support to help it stand. Once stable, they safely returned the baby to its mother.
Following the traditional elephant blessing ceremony at Nongnooch Elephant Sanctuary , Mr. Kampon Tansacha, President of Nongnooch Pattaya, arranged a special event to welcome the newborn. Phra Khru Kasem Kittisophon, the abbot of Phutaluang Subdistrict, Wat Samakkhi Banphot, was invited to conduct the ritual. The ceremony included garlanding, tying sacred threads, and applying holy powder on the foreheads of both mother and baby elephant to bless them with good fortune.
The celebration featured a procession with over 50 traditional dancers and a herd of 30 elephants. During the event, Nongnooch Pattaya named the baby elephant Pang "Joobjang", marking her as the third elephant birth of the year. With 83 elephants under its care, Nongnooch Elephant Sanctuary has demonstrated its readiness and expertise in elephant conservation. Additionally, it is the first elephant Sanctuary in Thailand to receive a certification of good practices from the Department of Livestock Development and the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards.
The team at Nongnooch Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary is thrilled, as it is rare to have three elephant births within three months, making this a truly special moment for the conservation efforts at Nongnooch Garden.
