Leonie Daisy Vejjajiva

Leonie Daisy Vejjajiva (nee Madgwick) was born in 1936 in Aldershot, England, though she took Thai nationality and is married to Mr. Pongsagdi Vejjajiva. She has two children and six gradchildren.

Leonie was educated at Eastbourne High School and Eastbourne Commercial College in the UK, and was a British Registered Nurse and Social Worker. From 1972 to 1997 she was Senior Paralegal with the international law firm of Tilleke & Gibbins, Bangkok, Thailand.

She is a Board Member of the Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS (TBCA); Board Member of the Thai SPCA; Co-Founder of the Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand; and she is a Member of the Committee to Establish Ethics for the Treatment of Laboratory Animals, established in 1998 by the National Research Council of Thailand.

Leonie became a Global 500 Laureate in 1994. She was awarded the "Kem Patchara Kittyabha" Honorary Parachute Wings by the Special Warfare Division, Royal Thai Army, in 1998.

Says Leonie, "For the past 4 years we have assisted with the upgrade of the Lopburi Zoo in the North of Thailand, and we have been providing medical treatment for injured domestic elephants that are hit by cars in the streets of Bangkok, there are so many of them. We're trying to raise money to buy a minivan and equip it as a mobile clinic.

"The wildlife center and sanctuary at Krabok Koo that we were operating with the government has been stalled for 2 years due to financial problems. We are starting a new project in Kui Buri in the South of Thailand, planting food for wild elephants who were being killed by pineapple farmers who had encroached and planted pineapples on the elephant trails. The farmers have been moved out and now elephant food is going to be planted to replace the pineapples.

"In December 1998 we assisted in returning to Thailand 5 domestic elephants that had been sent to Indonesia the year before to work and train Indonesian elephants. They were badly treated, their mahouts sent back to Thailand with no money, and the elephants were starving. We got together with some government ministers and other elephant lovers and rented a boat to go to Indonesia and brought the elephants to their home in Surin.

"We investigate and try to get the police to prosecute illegal wildlife restaurants, but its very difficult and dangerous. We rescue animals out of these restaurants whenever we can."