Eat, Play, Love -Elephant Essay
Elephant Wisdom: Eat, Play, Love
By Teresa Penner
When I planned my adventure to Cambodia and Thailand last year I had to include what has become an essential part of any trip for me now: wildlife. Previous trips to Africa and Australia have me totally hooked. Binoculars, camera and field guide in tow, I am the geek studying birds on the long plane rides. I do not claim to be anything other than an enthusiast. Not an expert but just an avid wildlife enthusiast trying to do my part to preserve, conserve and protect in a small way by responsible travel.
|
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TERESA PENNER
Teresa Penner provides bathtime pleasure, in the form of a bucket and brush, to a mature fe male elephant at the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand.
|
Pretty much everyone knows that there are two different species of elephants: the African (Loxodanta Africana) and the Asian (Elephus Maximus). What most people don't know is that the Asian elephant is endangered. The African elephants number in the 500,000 range while the Asian elephant's numbers have fallen to a disturbingly low figure: only about 30,000 Asian elephants remain in the entire world! In Thailand they number between 3,000 to 4,000. About half of this number are domesticated; the remainder are living in National Park Preserves; and some 300 others are allowed to suffer appalling conditions in Bangkok.
It is important to note that at the beginning of the 20th century there were approximately 100,000 elephants that graced the Thai countryside. I saw elephants depicted on practically every temple that I visited throughout South East Asia. It is sad that something so ingrained in the people's consciousness has suffered the fate of progress. The number one cause of their demise is habitat loss. We hear it over and over as people clear the planet to make way for more humans; the animals can't possibly survive.
Young elephants cavort during play time, a daily ritual that follows the daily feeding and bathing for the elephants in the care of the ENP.
|
Set in a natural valley surrounded by forested mountains and bordered by a river, Elephant Nature Park (ENP) is a unique, hands-on elephant conservation project set in beautiful Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand. It provides sanctuary for some 30 distressed elephants. At the heart of this project is Lek Chailert, a woman who established ENP around 1995. Her mission is to rehabilitate sick elephants, elephants rescued from trekking camps, logging camps and street begging whose owners are unable financially to give them proper care. Some are old, some are orphaned babies, some have had their tusks removed and some have been injured from land mines. Through donations and a steady stream of volunteer visitors, Lek and her team work miracles for the fortunate elephants that end up in her care.
|
My visit was one of the highlights of my life, second only to sitting in a boat in the Chobe river in Botswana for several hours watching about 100 African elephants swim, drink and cavort. The accommodations at ENP are rustic to say the least. Our bamboo hut on stilts was a little rickety, and new and interesting species of insects were outside my mosquito net at night. But the fellowship of the other 15 or so guests and the excitement we all felt at the prospect of interacting with the elephants far outweighed the fear of a few bugs. We started out from Chiang Mai City by visiting the market where we bought a truckload of fruit for the elephants. All the visitors helped load the baskets for the 60 kilometer ride out. Upon arrival we were given a safety lecture in the large open dining hall. Then it was time to feed them. The elephant's skin is rougher than you think and after passing out bananas, watermelons and pineapples for about an hour my hands were sorely chafed. Passing the food out by hand is more diverting for the elephants and makes their treat last longer and is tons of fun for the guests. After the elephants ate every last morsel we all sat down on mats at low tables for a delicious Thai buffet for ourselves. After our lunch, in the hottest part of the day, came elephant bath time. We all gathered brushes and buckets and followed the elephants down to the river. The mahouts asked the older elephants to lie down or kneel down. They didn't have to ask me twice to help and in an instant I was waist deep scrubbing away.
|
The elephant that I was scrubbing uttered a deep, long rumble and I couldn't help but anthropomorphize that this was her way of saying she was truly enjoying herself. The wicked babies, however, cut short our fun by cavorting and squealing loudly, startling the old lady. She got up with a look that said, "You lot keep up that nonsense and one of you is going to get hurt." No sooner than they were all clean and cool they went straight to the mud hole for a good wallow. The incorrigible babies soon had the rest of them lumbering off for some peace from their antics and the wild rumpus started. I could have watched them forever, splashing, wrestling, rooting in the mud with their tiny tusks and squealing the entire time.
We stayed and followed the routine for three days: feeding, bathing and on the last morning, a dawn walk by the river for a little foraging. At night the elephants are chained in tall barns. Nearly every elephant has a mahout, someone responsible for its care and control. These unrelated elephants seem to get along quite well. I could not help but think of horses and how they have adapted, though I am quite sure that elephants are more social, more evolved and more intelligent. ENP is quite an extraordinary place to visit and appropriate for nearly all ages. Day trips, overnights and extended volunteering are offered there.
I hope that they resolve the issues with construction of Pachyderm Forest at the Los Angeles Zoo. I personally believe that a humane and fiscally responsible exhibit is entirely possible, especially if African elephants are not a part of it, and if the LA Zoo only keeps and breeds Asian elephants and vows to educate and raise awareness of the current dire plight of the Asian elephant through its programs.
Spread the word to never buy ivory or elephant products. Only visit or frequent tourist elephant facilities that can prove they are responsible in feeding and care. The begging elephant will only work the streets as long as it makes money for its owner. Give instead to programs like Elephant Nature Park and live the joy that comes from "voluntourism."
Penner's trip was arranged by Andrea Ross at Journeys-Within.com. For more info on ENP visit ElephantNatureFoundation.org
