Not long ago, the guys from Planting Peace heard of an elephant that was abandoned in the woods in Laos. Joy was 31 years old, and had spent her life working as a logging elephant. But now she was too old and had health concerns, so they chained her to a tree. One of the organization’s missions is to rescue elephants, so they wanted to help Joy. They sent Aaron to get her, and he led Joy out of the logging area to her new home at MandaLao Elephant Conservation, a retirement home for elephants in Laos. This shelter welcomes tourists because they pay for the elephants’ upkeep, but they never offer elephant rides or train the elephants to do stunts.
I’m sure you noticed the lump on Joy’s shoulder. Elephants rarely get cancer, so it is probably an abscess. The shelter has a veterinarian, and Joy will get the care she needs. You can keep up with …