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Published: November 21st 2007
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Stick together
Aren't they just magnificent!! Well.... where do I really start!?!?!
*Deep breath* This place is truly one of the most moving, spectacular, fulfilling and rewarding experiences I have ever done in my life!!!!
Lek!! You truly are an amazing woman and you really do need to be acknowledged more and rewarding for all your sacrifices, hard work and your dedication!!
If you don't know, Lek is the founder of the Elephant Nature Park just outside Chiang Mai. Here, you get to appreciate this majestic creature on its turf!!
There is strictly NO riding here!!!
The majority of the elephants here are rescued from the elephant camps where people (tourists) pay money to sit in a basket that is inhumanly strapped these animals backs. Not only do these cause the elephant untold pain and suffering from rubbing but the elephants back is not designed for anything to be carried on it.
This is why the Mahout (elephant trainer) rides very high up on the neck, just behind the ears. This is the preferred location to be sitting as the elephant can take the weight.
In 99.999999 of these camps, the elephants are worked continuously almost to breaking point. You would not believe what these
You dare me???
Almost came up to visit us on the feeding platform! lol poor animals go through to even to get to this point!!
They are beating into submission and kept tied up in a crush.
This is where an elephant is put into this tiny bamboo/wooden structure, and they are held so tightly in there they cannot move at all.
They are then poked and prodded whenever it voices it disgust in its treatment.
Being poked and prodded with just a normal stick is one thing, but they insert nails into the ends of them and stab the poor elephants.
Leave them bruised, battered and bleeding.
I won't go into all the details cause I want you all to keep coming back to read.
But I do think its very important that you all know what happens so if you ever do come over here, you won't be lured into an elephant ride.
Be careful though, most treks include an elephant ride - you need to ask if you can exclude this part.
At the centre, you get to feed the elephants and then walk them down to the river for a nice ole scrub-a-dub-dub!! Lol
This is unreal!!! You get into the water with the elephants and scrub them down.
A stern talkin too
Mahout to the rescue Only to witness them, promptly undo all your best efforts when they blow dirt back over themselves or rub themselves in the red mud lol
Very funny to watch!!!
Food at the park is amazing, some of the best food I've had so far!! Dinner was awesome but I thought the lunches were the best - more variety because there are more people there.
One of the best experiences and the chance for some awesome photos is on the 2nd morning (You must stay overnight!).
You get to walk down to a different part of the park along the river, its such a beautiful setting. Unbelievable scenery and to top it all off you are walking with these stunning animals. It really is amazing.
This is where the babies come to life too. They play up, they act like spoilt 2 year olds...its quite funny!!!
If you go to the Park - which I highly recommend you do, be prepared for some horrific stories!!!
Once such story is on of Medo.
At less than ten years old, Medo was put to work in the illegal logging industry. She was to young to be doing such
Medo
This is Medo when she first got to the park heavy labour, and as a result of this became a victim of a serious logging accident, in which her back right ankle was badly broken. The bone never mended properly - this is her first injury. This was the start to a tragic life!!
After Medo recovered from her injury, it was obvious that she wouldn't be any good for heavy lifting such as illegal logging probably for the rest of her natural life. This was not good news for her owner and decided to sell her.
The man who bought her did so with the full understanding that she could not be used for the work that was typical for elephants without such a handicap. Unfortunately, she still had to ‘earn her keep’.
Medo’s new owner decided that since she was young and healthy, apart from her obvious disability he would use her as a breeding elephant. In her mid-teens, it was decided that it was time for her to be impregnated. No thought had gone into choosing a mate for her, to make sure they were compatible - instead the closes male that was in musth was chained next to her. Normally he may have just
Medo
This is Medo only the other day. Looks a lot better. She takes a rest where ever she can. ignored her if he wasn’t interested, but because he couldn't get a way - he soon turned angry and let loose on poor Medo. He attacked her and mounted her savagely. Medo collapsed from all this, and this is where she laid for 2 days.
No one was game to enter because of the aggressive male.
It was determined that she had a dislocated spine and a fractured pelvis.
She suffered so much for man and to get no help in return.
You see her today at the park and it absolutely breaks your heart.
She walks with a very exaggerated limp; one leg would almost be 2 feet shorter than the other. She has to swing her leg around and she thuds down on the other. She must be in so much pain. She will lean on anything or anyone - even other elephants if they will stay still long enough. This seems to relieve some sort of discomfort.
The image of her will always stay with me.
Even if you don't ever get to Thailand and visit this magnificent place - please consider going on to their website and giving a donation.
It costs Lek 250,000.00
Just look at me
Just beautifull!! USD per year to run this park. She has volunteers working for her, but this doesn't pay for the vet bills, the wages, the food bill (2 truck loads of food morning and evening)!! Plus everything else that it takes to run such a place.
Please take a look and help in anyway you can.
While there, I sponsored a baby elephant and her name is Tong Jan. This is a Christmas pressie for my mum...and her name is Jann...so I thought it was fate!!
And yes, mum knows about Tong Jan lol 😉
Well...I will stop my rant now, I just feel so strongly about this now - I can't help but talk about it now.
Please visit:
http://www.elephantnaturefoundation.org/go/foundation
Take care everyone
Loz xoxo
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possumbear
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What a buzz.
Did you organize to go here before you left or when you arrived? How are you finding the temperature? And is is hard to find clothes for size 16 lady? Keep blogging, love reading your posts.