Thailand's Citi Elephant Nursery Welcomes Baby Boy for National Elephant Day

The Citi Elephant Nursery in Chiang Rai, Thailand welcomed a newborn male baby elephant on March 3. This joyous occasion came after a long 23-month pregnancy and just 10 days before Thailand's National Elephant Day on March 13, which celebrates the contributions of this revered animal to the culture, tradition, agriculture, religion, and royal history of Thailand. The new baby elephant was born to 45-year-old Boon Jaan and will be raised at the Elephant Nursery.

The Citi Elephant Nursery is a joint initiative between Citi Thailand, its corporate client Minor Group International and their subsidiary Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, as well as the Golden Triangle Asia Elephant Foundation. It was established to improve and raise awareness around the conservation of the elephant, which is a national symbol in Thailand.

Citi Thailand proudly supports the cause of elephant conservation as a way of giving back to the communities where we do business. As part of the initiative, Citi funded the construction of a new shelter and baby elephant nursery, as well as the installation of a webcam. In addition to Citi's initial contribution, an additional US$9,700 has been donated by Citi, business partners and colleagues to purchase special, custom-made baby elephant toys and to set-up a training area especially for the new baby elephant.

Upon hearing the long-awaited good news, Citi Country Officer for Thailand Mr. Darren Buckley paid a visit to the elephant camp to welcome the new addition to the family. Mr. Buckley said, "We are happy to see our contributions help in elephant conservation and to further develop the welfare of these animals. The latest addition to our camp not only delights us at Citi but also the people of Thailand as the elephant is a well-respected and significant national symbol."

Anantara Resorts' Director of Elephants John Roberts added, "We are very proud and thankful to be working with Citi to build the world's first hybrid elephant nursery area, to allow Boon Jaan's baby and all future babies to be raised and trained in an elephant friendly, mahout safe manner."

In conjunction with Thailand's National Elephant Day and to celebrate this joyous occasion, Citi has invited its employees in the Asia Pacific region to help name the baby elephant. Seven shortlisted names will be polled globally amongst Citi's employees and the top three names will then be presented to the baby elephant, who will choose his own name using his trunk. As with Thai tradition, this will be the baby elephant's nickname, a name he will go by. The naming contest will enable Citi colleagues around the world to appreciate and understand the importance of this gentle and sacred animal of Thailand.