Among the elephants living at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Ny had a difficult childhood. She was brought to a circus and raised there. Behind the stage lights and the applause she received for her performances were long days of demanding training, including exercises that went against the natural behavior, instincts, and physical structure of elephants.
Although she was provided with plenty of varied food, it did little to make Ny happy. What she longed for were quiet days when she could roam freely, without glaring stage lights or ear-splitting music.
Ny was intelligent and strong-willed. Through her actions, she eventually made people realize that she needed to be transferred to Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, a place that may not be spacious or wealthy, but where she would be surrounded by genuine care and affection.
Here, Ny began to experience many things she had never known before. Yet deep inside, she still carried two major fears, and only time could heal them.
1. Fear of Her Own Kind
After spending so many years confined in a restricted environment among humans, Ny had lost much of the natural instinct and behavior of an elephant. She did not know how to use elephant vocalizations and body language to communicate, nor did she understand the social hierarchy within a herd.
Auntie Chuông often had to guide and teach her, and on a few occasions even discipline her, just as she had done with Bô when he was being stubborn and unruly.
Tom was no pushover either. She would often provoke Ny and pick fights with her because she was jealous of the extra attention Ny received from the keepers and the special care she received from Chuông.
The two females were seen sizing each other up for a fight on more than one occasion, fortunately with Chuông always appearing at just the right moment to intervene.
Ny's attempts to get along with handsome Bô did not go much better. From their very first encounter, Bô showed little mercy. He charged straight toward her and sent her tumbling onto the ground. After that, Ny never dared to go near him again, even after a barrier was built to divide their shared space into two separate areas.
2. Fear of Humans
Wild animals naturally fear humans and tend to keep their distance from them. For wild animals raised and cared for by humans, however, this fear can gradually fade, replaced by a bond built on affection, responsibility, and cooperation for the benefit of both sides.
For Ny, both feelings existed at the same time. She was intelligent enough to understand that cooperating with her keepers meant receiving better care, yet she remembered enough of her past that she could not easily forget the hardships she had once endured.
Over time, Ny gradually became accustomed to life at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
She learned how to show respect toward Auntie Chuông. She learned to communicate with Tom through touching and wrapping their trunks around each other, as well as stroking, nuzzling, and sniffing. She learned to communicate through vocalizations and even knew how to turn away and shyly swish her tail when handsome Bô came courting.
Ny also gradually learned to understand short verbal commands and willingly follow them, making the keepers' work easier. She even made progress in offering her feet for examination and having her toenails trimmed to keep them healthy and well maintained.
Today, she behaves like a true elephant, a full-fledged member of the elephant family at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
