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Today we woke early excited for the day a head, Steven and Kratos headed for breakfast while I ensured the camera was charged and everything was packed and ready. At 8am our lift was here to pick us up and we climbed in to a very plush looking mini van before picking up a few travellers around Chiang Mai. The last stop was to a hotel where a women jumped in and started directing the guy around the car park to get to her friend who had hurt her ankle. I felt really bad as I said to the guys "shame he has really hurt his ankle" before the said person climbed in and it was actually a women with a buzz cut. We had moved back so they could have the front few seats and we soon realised they had been to the park before... Mainly due to the huge volunteer signposted on their tee shirts.
On the way to the park (an hours drive away) we sat back and watched a very cheesy video about elephants in Thailand. The actual program was very informative and interesting but the couple presenting it were incredibly cheesy and annoying. The video explained all about the plight of elephants in Thailand now that the logging business is now illegal. Many of the three thousand elephants were left unemployed and became victim to poverty. They were too tame and domesticated to be released and too expensive to keep, this resulted in elephants being dragged around the streets of Bangkok and Chiang Mai as their owners used them for begging. In the video the poor animals look terrified as they walk the crazy streets of these cities eating very little amounts of food.... Normally an adult elephant needs about 450kg of food each day which obviously their owners could never provide. An Elephants feet are also particularly sensitive to vibrations and given the pounding traffic and constant tooting the poor things looked petrified and very stressed. Elephants were also forced into tourism and made to provide entertainment for the thousands of tourists hitting this land yearly, they are used to give rides and such again surviving on to little to eat. Domestic elephants in Thailand are classed as livestock rather than an endangered species thus resulting in little protection from the government, this means that if an elephant is beaten or killed by its owner than no punishment is given... The number of domesticated elephants that were left after logging was banned has as a result numbers have dropped from nearly 100,000 to a tiny 5,000. Despite the fact that its also illegal to bring elephants into the cities, this if again often ignored and they can sadly been seen being paraded around.
We both knew we wanted to see some elephants whilst in Thailand but didn't want to do so at the creatures expense so were very keen to do our research prior to deciding. We had seen a place in Pai that offered rides but I didn't get a good feeling about the place especially when you paid a very cheap price for simply a one, two or three hour ride around the land. To me it seemed a bit uncomfortable and the quickest way to make money... Not something I want to invest in.
I'm not going to sit here and act all high and mighty about wether you should ride elephants or not but I just felt I would rather see them in a place where they are allowed to roam freely and not made to give rides or provide shows. I know the brutal act of breaking the elephant into accepting riders has already taken place during their time logging but I find it very uncomfortable seeing these large boxes strapped to their backs laden with tourists. I think you can ride elephants without bothering them as many mahouts do so when taking the elephants from one place to another but I just don't think they want to spend their days giving rides to hundreds of tourists.
We did our research and settled on 'The Elephant Nature Park' which is situated about an hour from Chiang Mai, here no riding is allowed and no shows are given. The ride to the park is very bendy but also very pretty as you pass through lush green countryside towards the mountains. The ride passed quickly as we listened to our guide telling us about the park and how it was founded. All the elephants here have been bought or rescued from their previous life by the parks founder Lek. Lek is an amazing women who was raised as the granddaughter of a shaman high up in the hills. She has always grown up around elephants ever since her grandfather was given one as a thank you for saving a mans life.
She founded the park in the 1990s being supported mainly by her family's tour business before the name grew and thankfully now receives donations through visits to the park and sponsoring of the animals here. The park provides refuge to elephants all over Thailand who are in need of a loving home and freedom from the pain and suffering that is all to common. Many of the elephants here still bear the scars of their previous life and suffer from anxiety. The rules here are simple... You can observe the elephants in their home while helping to feed and wash them, you can have photos and play with them but they are not here for our entertainment. No rides or shows here... This is one of the main reasons we chose the park. All domesticated elephants are put through a tortuous procedure known as crushing (as it crushes the elephants spirit) until they are eventually submissive to their owner. The elephants are held in a small cage that ensures they can't move, sit or lie down... They are then tied with ropes so they can't move at all before being hit and poked with sticks that have nails in the end. Despite the fact an elephants skin is over an inch thick, it is extremely sensitive and this constant poking is excruciating to them. This ritual goes on for up to seven days and ensures the elephant is exhausted, starving and thirsty resulting in them being submissive to their owner and able to be ridden. While at the centre you are shown a video and it truly is heartbreaking and horrific to witness. That is why I don't want to ride one of these beautiful creatures... They have suffered enough and I just feel they should be left to live as elephants are meant to live... Eating, drinking and playing. Not providing rides and entertainment to us tourists.
On arriving at the park I knew we had made the right choice... Its a bit pricer then other elephant trips (£57 compared to anything from £12 up) but definitely no guilt felt here. We had spoken to a couple we had met in Chiang Mai that did one of the cheaper day trips and they said it was horrid... The so called mahouts continuously hit the elephants on their heads with metal hooks and such to make them walk... Brutal.
As we stepped out the van we were welcomed by the staff before being shown to a viewing platform where any free time would take place. From here you could see the see all the land and the elephants walking freely, it was very natural and beautiful.... Reminded me of Jurassic park when all the dinosaurs roam freely over the land. The park is vast and surrounded by lush green hills and mountains with a large river flowing down one side... Heaven. We were given a safety talk to ensure our safety and the elephants and told we mustn't leave the viewing platform without a guide. From here you could really communicate with the animals as they come over and search for food. We were pretty lucky as most groups had about twelve people and we now had five (the three volunteers had abandoned us on arrival) so it was really intimate and nice. Our first stop was to meet the youngest and newest member of the family... A little girl elephant called Dok Mai (new flower) who was a mere three weeks old. She's the second baby born in five months and was a complete surprise to the staff as they had no idea her mother was pregnant. This is another of the reasons I had a good feeling about this place... For so many babies have been born here and that's got to be a good thing, they must feel relaxed and safe to be able to carry a baby full term.
We walked across the yard to a large enclosure where mother and baby would spend the next few months... Mainly for safety reasons as mothers are obviously very protective of their young and having lots of tourists around is a recipe for disaster. The mum was friendly enough and was happily eating the huge basket of food we were feeding her while all fussing over her adorable newborn. She was so cute... Already a good size but still very un sure on her feet and with the teensiest trunk. She couldn't eat the fruit as she is yet to develop teeth so relies on her mothers milk, this didn't stop her playing with the water melon and tryin to copy her mum who was munching it faster than we could provide it... Unfortunately she didn't have the dexterity in her trunk yet and just made a mess. Their mahout was in the pen with them and constantly fussing over the baby who was trying desperately to sit on his lap like a dog, this wasn't working too well as she was a lot larger than your average dog. It was so cute to see though and to witness the amazing relationship that has built up between mahout and elephant. The mother Nok Ngern had such an immense amount of trust in him that she barely batted an eyelid when he was bundling with her baby a few feet away.
We were soon joined by one of the many dogs that live here and he was equally as cute as he tried to get everyone's attention... They must get a little jealous of the elephants at times. After playing with the dog and elephants a little more we walked back towards the main area of the park. Here we were right next to the elephants and could really appreciate their huge size. We were taken to see the clinic just as one of the elephants Jan Peng was bought in to clip her nails. Elephants nails can quickly become infected if damaged and can lead to death. Jan Peng is one if the older elephants here and was born in 1945... She had belong to a Karen tribe who used her for both logging then trekking before eventually agreeing for her to retire here at the park in 2010. She was happily being led with food before we wandered off leaving the vets to do their work.
We headed back to the platform for feeding time and it was so much fun. The elephants come over in pairs to ensure everyone gets some and we were mostly feeding Mae Kam Puan an elderly female who joined the park in 2010. She was rescued from illegal logging and known as the purple elephant on arrival due to the bright ointment that covered the numerous pus filled wounds that ravished her frail body. She is instantly recognised by her blindness in one eye that was caused when she escaped from her chains one night and ate a farmers crops. Her mahout found her the next day with a bloody eye (likely caused by a slingshot) and an obvious blindness. She continued to work until she was finally rescued and bought to the sanctuary.
We had a little tour of the facilities after feeding the elephants and saw the immense amount of food needed as well as the river and the vast area in which the elephants are free to roam in. It was then time for our lunch and wow what a lunch. We were treated to a vegetarian buffet and the food was both tasty and very varied... There was rice, noodles, vegetables, salad, pasta, soup the list goes on and it was very tasty. Steven loved it and I was gutted as I couldn't really eat much as I keep having excruciating tummy cramps on eating. I did nibble some noodles though and salad before drinking numerous cups of ginger tea.... Yummy!!
After lunch we headed down to the river where we bathed the elephants and helped to cool them in the now unforgiving heat that is so regular here. We were washing Jokia and Mae Perm. Jokia was a little favourite of mine who I followed most of the day. She was rescued from a lifetime of logging in 2001 at the age of forty. I was touched by her sad story and just felt such a pull to her... She was working as a logging elephant for many years and was treated well at first. However once logging was made illegal she was sold and forced to do various other jobs including illegal logging. At the time she was pregnant but forced to work until one day when she was up high in the mountains and gave birth... The baby fell from her and away down the mountain dying while still in the sac. After this she was devastated and refused to work... Her new owners then hit her and blinded her as punishment. She was forced to continue working until the sanctuary saved her and bought her to the park. On the journey back she was very upset and scared causing her to lash out and butt her head. The normally four hour journey took eight hours as the group had to stop every twenty mins or so to reassure her even walking her the last few km to the park. At the park she was taken under the wing of Mae Perm who now acts as her eyes and the pair are now inseparable. We washed and played with them both before walking back up to the dry land with them where we hung out with the elephants. One kept squeaking and it was so cute... She got on really well with her mahout and would knock his hat off before picking it up and putting it back on his head.
We took some photos with them and tried desperately to get one of Jokia and Kratos but for some reason she had such a dislike of him and every time he went near her she would back away. I had a total soft spot for her and took full advantage of mothering her... We then went to feed her and it broke my heart. She obviously couldn't see so she would place her trunk in the same place on the deck and you would have to touch her trunk and place the food into it allowing her to feel it and thus pass it to her mouth. It was such a sweet moment bonding with such a giant but gentle elephant in such a way. She was a total sweetheart. After afternoon feeding we headed back to chill out with a cup of tea while watching these majestic elephants in their natural state. I then headed to the gift shop where I wanted to buy a lasting reminder of my time here. I found some beautiful handcrafted elephants that are made by one of the mahouts here and sold to make the park profits. I initially wanted a Jokia (they are modelled on the elephants) but then Steven found one called Mae Bua Loi, who was beautifully made and the only one with its trunk in the air... I remembered her story from earlier, as we walked past this poor peg legged elephant and knew this was the one for us.
Mae Bua Loi was rescued in 2008 from Surin and she was rescued from a very upsetting life. She was initially a logging elephant but when that was banned in 1989 she was still a teenager (a mere 10years old) so was used to illegally log. This can be very dangerous for an elephant so young as she had received little training and there was no rules or regulations in place for her protection. The work resulted in her breaking her back right leg ending her career in logging and stopping her from a career in tourism (she couldn't lift tourists). This would seem like a blessing for her but instead she was used for begging as her injury would bring them sympathy and more money. This was not the case and instead people would complain at her owner for treating her this way, the owner became fed up and instead forced her into a breeding program where female elephants are forced to breed ...and their babies sold on as soon as they are weaned thus allowing the cycle to repeat continuously. She became pregnant quickly and enjoyed a short lived happiness with her calf before her owner became impatient and tried to mate her while still nursing her calf. She didn't become pregnant so the owner sold her calf in the hope she would start ovulating again. Instead she became depressed and had little interest in the males offered. The owner was now losing patience so chained he up and forced her to stay with a male in musth (highly aggressive and hormonal) for three months where she was forcibly mated 29times. She failed to get pregnant and her owner gave up and returned to Surin where he sold her to Lek during the elephant festival. She was then bought to the park where she bonded with a young calf and became an auntie to the babies in the park.
Mid afternoon I saw Lek walking by and really wanted a pic. She then sat with some of the younger elephants by the river and had some pics taken... I was really lucky and managed to get one with her while having a quick conversation with her before someone else vied for her attention... It was nice to meet her.
The afternoon passed with lots more photos and feeding before we watched a video about the park and the history of elephant trade in Thailand including a very harrowing video on crushing. During this particularly sad and stressful part one of the dogs wandered into the room and provided some light relief. He came in and sat in front of the projector screen watching the movie before jumping full force at the screen at a dog that had appeared. We all started laughing before he settled down and continued watching... Just to repeat the whole thing about five minutes later, was very funny and just what was needed to break the tension.
By now time was getting on so we fed the elephants again and watched them lazily before the sad time came to leave. We took a final look around before slowly walking to our mini bus where we began the ride home feeling shattered but happy we had experienced such an amazing day. On arriving back in Chiang Mai the boys went to sort buses while I went for a lay down (tummy still playing up). We then headed out a bit later for a bite to eat before settling down for a warm sleep... The three of us were sharing a family room and the fan was doing little to keep us cool.
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