Bai Thong
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) at
Somnuk Elephant Camp in Thailand

Biography

♀ Bai Thong

Alternative name:	Ning Nong

Identification


Description
Species:	Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
Sex and age:	Female ♀
Management:	Free contact
Origin
Born:	* unknown
Birth place:	in Thailand unspecified location
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Somnuk Elephant Camp, in Thailand

Date of arrival

	Somnuk Elephant Camp from Phuket Sheraton Grande Laguna Cherngtalay

Record history
History of updates	2025-02-26:

Latest document update	2025-02-26 08:07:17
Google map

Biography

Bai Thong is a living Female ♀ Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) , located at the Somnuk Elephant Camp, in Thailand.

Bai Thong arrived to the Somnuk Elephant Camp unknown date, relocated from the Phuket Sheraton Grande Laguna Cherngtalay, in Thailand.

Social

Bai Thong lives together with 5 other elephants at the Somnuk Elephant Camp: (detailed list)

♀ Bon Sung
♂ Hon Tong
♂ Sidu
♂ Sombat
♀ Wazana

Origin

Bai Thong was born unknown at Thailand unspecified location.

Comments / pictures

Famous for the story of an eight-year-old British schoolgirl named Amber Owen, who was visiting Phuket with her mother and stepfather when the tsunami hit the island in 2004.

Ms Owen was riding on the back of a baby elephant named ‘Ning Nong’. She said that the animal became alert and alarmed before the ruthless waves came crashing in.

“People were going into the sea to pick up fish, but the elephant kept trying to get away,” Ms Owen told The Telegraph. “I didn’t know what a tsunami was, but he could clearly sense there was danger.”

Ning Nong then ran toward high ground – with Ms Owen on its back – until the waves subsided, protecting her from being carried off to sea.

“As the water came in, I was safely on his back. He saved my life,” Ms Owen added.

Ms Owen was safely reunited with her mother, who reportedly pledged to donate money to Ning Nong’s upkeep every year, as a show of gratitude for saving her daughter’s life.

Earlier this month, Ning Nong was found at an elephant camp in Kanchanaburi, after being sold to a new owner after the tsunami, reportedly because her old owner found her too expensive to maintain. She now has a new name – Bai Tong – but is still the same gentle and friendly creature she was before, and still a favorite with locals and visitors to the camp.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). Bai Thong, Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) located at Somnuk Elephant Camp in Thailand. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 29 March 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=6741. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

Litterature about Somnuk Elephant Camp

Recommended Litterature:

Random literature As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

Links

Relevant links

Internal relevant links

External relevant links (Opens in new window)

Search more on the web for Bai Thong

(The name Bai Thong is already submitted into the link, just click on the link for relevant results)

CategoriesElephants from Somnuk Elephant Camp | Thailand | Asian elephants

About this documentWebsite online since 1995. This document was created: . Latest update: 2025-02-26 08:07:17 included characters with valid HTML5