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Published: April 14th 2014
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Friday 11
th April. Those of you from work, reading this, will know that I wanted to kiss an elephant. It’s not possible.
At Bardia National Park, I didn’t go with the group on the Safari. I stayed back a the camp. Instead, I went a walk to the local temple and went to meet the elephants at the breeding centre.
Santa, a guide at the camp, took me on the village walk in the morning. I don’t know, we left about 7am and wandered about 2km through the local area to the small temple. The whole place seemed too good to be true. The kids were playing in the rivers, pigs and cows grazed freely, women collected leaves in the early morning light to make leaf bowls, people worked in the fields, there were thatched mud cottages all along the way and the most glorious birds flew around – the Crimson sun bird, a blue tailed bee eater, a nut hatch bee eater, parrots, herons, and many more. Santa said it was all real. I still had my doubts as if it had been planted there for us to look at. In comparison to the
places we have been through in India, this is heaven.
A young girl carrying a grubby cardiganned baby drops in line behind us. She tells Santa she’s going to the shop – but really she is going to a small shed where the shopkeeper lady sells a few sweets and bits. The girl can only look because she has no money. We gather round the shed and another young girl joins from nowhere. I know it’s not good for their teeth but they’re looking at the round lollies with such big eyes that I buy them all 2 each. Then all 3 disappear.
At the temple, the Baba wants to paint my face. It’s bad enough as it is. With a big red and yellow strip on, I would look totally hideous. So I graciously refuse. I offer to take his photo and he accepts not knowing what the instax does. In front of his very eyes, his image appears and this Baba, who owns no earthly possessions, follows me and poses in front of his temple holding the bell wanting another photo. I ask Santa if he thinks that the Baba will look
at his photo all day and maybe every day after. Santa thinks he will.
A lone dog lopes along beside me nipping playfully at the end of my shirt. I call him dogdog and he accompanies us for some way.
Later, at the breeding centre, I meet 2 rows of elephants chained in 2 long open sided sheds. They have sad eyes. There is a tiny baby in between 2 great females. I cannot go near and instantly I know that I could never earn their respect and be able to touch this lovely baby let alone kiss it. The power and strength of these animals is plain to see and feel. I walk along the line at a distance and wonder why I came. I knew they would be chained but there was no other way for me see them closely than to come here. But I don’t want this visit to just be about me. As the guide and I walk, he explains that from 8am – 4pm they wander the jungle for either National Park Rangers to ride and check the land, for jungle safaris or to collect huge piles of
food for their tea. At 4pm, they all return – each one with a young boy of around 15 – 18 as their trainer. These boys perch on a sack behind the ears of these magnificent creatures. I watched the elephants return for a long time. The boy trainer says nothing, the elephant lowers down on one knee, the boy slides off and removes the load, together they walk to long open sheds. Eventually, after a long while, I hope I can be accepted enough to touch the larger baby who was born on Valentines day 14months ago and is called Valentine. Normally elephants weigh around 65kg when they are born. He weighed 110kg. He’s a lively lad. The guide says if I buy biscuits he’ll come and he does. I’m elated. His wandering trunk with the gripping end is so cute. He loves biscuits. His tea time is rice pudding parcels. Rice, molasses and sugar wrapped in jungle grasses made up to the size of a grenade. I’ve been here so long, the keeper gives me some. My hands are grubby from his trunk snout. I’ve been feeding him for some time and get too relaxed – he slightly
butts me and I’m shunted backwards. The keeper rushes forward but it is not Valentine’s fault. I thought I could be his friend in an hour but that isn’t so. But if I lived here, I would spend the time every day until he trusted me. I have my own thoughts on this place and they are not at all bad.
Bardia National Park is stunning. At the river edge, the guide tells me the names of all the birds flying around. There are deer and cows grazing and very young kids just play around. We watch the sun set and I feel at total peace.
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