First Day in Elephant Sanctuary

Elephant Park

As Ian mentioned yesterday, when he said he was blown away by everything here- I have to agree. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to fully express what I saw and experienced today, there was so much, and it was so moving.

I got to drive out to the park today with Darrick & Lek, and got a taste of Thai driving. It seems tamer to me compared with driving in Haiti. They were great tour guides, pointing out different sites along the way. There was a small group of Burmese people standing beside the road along the way, and they said there are usually way more people there- refugees who have crossed the Burmese border (which, relatively speaking, isn’t too far from there- a few mountain peaks by foot) and are looking for work (illegally). They stand at that spot, and if you are interested in hiring some Burmese workers, you show up & hire them on the spot.

We eventually got off the big highway and hit some dirt roads, and here, it felt once again, familiar, like Haiti- the narrow roads, dogs & chickens to watch out for on the roads, and interesting houses.

When I first arrived yesterday, and came to the viewing area for the elephants, an elephant came right up to the deck. Ainslie explained how you can pet their trunk, or stroke their head. I stroked the elephant trunk…and it slimed me, a good slime! It seemed like a mixture of snot & mud- mmmmmm. I’d best get used to it- I’m here for three weeks after all!

Moments after my sliming. I think Ian is laughing at my slime. Here is Isaace stroking this elephant.

I spent the morning in awe of being that close to such magnificent creatures, and also got a tour of the park to see all of the other animals they have provided a home for. In addition to elephants, they have water buffalo, a mackaq monkey, countless dogs and cats, a few horses, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some breeds. The Park is a safe haven for animals that have been beaten, or can no longer be cared for. Many of the current dogs here at the park, in addition to the monkey, were rescued during the wide-spread flooding in Thailand this year. They have an extremely well organised crew of volunteers and paid staff to care for the animals. I think Ian said it takes 200 people on staff each day to run the place.

The food here is exquisite- mostly vegan (although there have been a few exceptions having chicken and fish on the menu for special guest and nephew Isaac). I’ll dedicate an entry to food, because the food here is in its own world, and deserves special mention.

The Elephant Park was started by Sangduen Chailert "Lek" and is now home to what seems to me something like 30 elephants. Most of these elephants have been saved from abusive situations, such as trekking, logging, circuses, etc. Many have visible wounds from either being beaten, or from the harnesses and seats used so that people can have an elephant riding experience, and one had its foot partially blown away from a land mine.

You can see the injured foot here that she has from a land mine. 

 So, these elephants are bought by Lek, or sometimes given to her for guardianship. This is no small feat. It takes countless people, supplies and infrastructure to take care of these large animals.

This elephant has quite a sunken head- they show various signs of abuse here at the park.

Each elephant has its own ‘mahout’, who is the traditional ‘companion’ for the elephant. Mahouts across the country sometimes use hooks and other devices to hit the elephant during training and day to day living, but that is not the practise at the park. Love is the main ingredient, as the vet from the park told us. Physical abuse is forbidden.  There are many volunteers worldwide who come to stay at the park, and volunteer to help with bathing, feeding, and caring for the elephants. The vast quantity of food required to feed the elephants is enormous. There are buckets upon buckets of squash, melons, and bananas, in addition to local grasses and sugar cane that are put out several times daily. I’m not sure how much volume an individual elephant eats in a day, but I know it’s a lot!