Sorada wrote on Facebook that she wished to sincerely thank everybody for their support.

The donations were channelled to accounts at Kasikornbank and Siam Commercial Bank.

Soraida on Thursday showed in her Facebook the bank statements registering about Bt40.2 million given to the first bank and Bt4 million to the second.

The Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation runs the “world’s first” elephant hospital in Lampang province, which opened 25 years ago.

On Thai Elephants’ Day on March 13, Soraida announced that she had a health problem and that her foundation was in a financial crisis, so she had no choice but to close the hospital. The foundation had a negative balance sheet for 11 years, overspending by more than Bt2 million.

The foundation works in partnership with governmental and nongovernmental organisations, and the local company Elephant Parade. Many fear that if the elephant hospital closed, old and sick mammals would face an uncertain future.

The foundation has won recognition for its campaigns for the rights of Asian elephants and preventing the mammals from being kept in cities such as Bangkok. It is also responsible for the fulltime care of disabled elephants Motala, Mocha and Pai Bobo.