Elephants, 25 years and the return home

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It's about 12:30 pm on Christmas Day here in Chiang Mai. Last night I decided to bite the bullet and pay for a flight to Bangkok. No more long, uncomfortable and, not to mention, questionable 12 hour bus rides. Besides the timming would have been very tricky for my 6 am flight to the states tomorrow morning. Best not to risk missing the flight. Plus the flight takes an hour. If I can swing it, I might check in my bags early and try to catch a movie in Bangkok. If not, though, I have too heady books to keep me occupied for the next 48 hours or so.

Yesterday, I had the most lovely of days celebrating my 25 years on this planet: with the elephants.

It was, in a word, amazing. Breathtaking. So beautiful. Inspiring. Perfect. Okay, fine, that was six words.

Let me back up a bit - I did a two day, one night trip to the Elephant Nature Park - www.elephantnaturefoundation.org . It is set on a 50 acres of preserved land, with a river, rolling hills and lots of vegitation. There are 32 elephants and as many dogs, cats and water buffalo exsisting together. There is an on site vet, so they were the healthies dogs and cats I have seen in a while. And the water buffalo are thriving and reproducing like mad.

But first, a little history: in Thailand, Elephants are a huge part of the thai culture. It is no overstatement to say that elephants are everywhere. They are said to have helped build Thailand into what it is today. Quite litterally, in fact, as they were used for heavy labor, much like we would use a tractor or a truck. Until the late 80's, logging was the most prevelant form of servitude: the elephants were used to destroy their own natural habitat. They have also been used in battles, thus helping secure thailand as the nation it is today. Aside form the actualy physical uses of elephants, they are a cultural icon to the point of being almost worshipped. they are, of course, good luck and appaer in many temples along side Buddha. But for as much as they are worshipped, the actual physical beings are seem as livestock. Legally and culturally. Then in the late 80's, the use of elephants in logging was made illegal when the government realized that such serious logging was making the flooding from monsoon season worse every year.

Because of the logging and poaching and other reasons, the elephant population has dropped 95% in the last century: only 1,500 remain in the wild. (I can't exactly remember the number of domesticated elephants). Now, because the use of elephants in logging is illegal, out of work elephants are either used in trekking camps to carry people around or as street beggers. street begging is technically illegeal, but only because of the strain on traffic and increase in accidents and it is rarely enforced. Elephants are made to sell fruit and because it is an elephant, people will pay incredible amounts of money for a banana. I saw one in Chiang Mai saturday night. It was like a ghost. Small, thin with sickly watery eyes. Elephants get a feel for their surroundings by the vibrations they feel in their feet - you can imagine how much stress they much feel being in crazy thai cities at night.

And as for elephants used in treking - they are made to take several people on their back at all times and the mahoots (elephant handelers) use long metal hooks they use on the elephants ears - the most sensitive part on their whole body. They do this to keep them in submission...the mahoots and trekking owners claim that tourists get upset when an elephant won't go or stops for whatever reason: they paid for an hours ride, and they are going to get it. And tourism demand is huge in this country. they depend on our money.

Also, an elephant is made domesticated by a long standing tradion of pulling the baby from the mother prematurely, made to stay in a too small cage for 3 days (or however long it takes), stabbed with bamboo sticks with nails on the end, starved and beaten into submission. The aim is to break the spirit in whatever way possible so these huge powerful and highly intelligent animals are weak enough to do comply.

But back to the Elephant Nature Park - it is the only sanctuary in Thailand where elephants get to roam free and are not made to preform in any way. (The larger government sponsered Elephant Conservatory, elephants still put on shows of playing insturments, painting and serve as "taxis". Elephants don't play insturments, don't paint, don't carry several people on their back in the wild. I'm sure you can imagine what the "training" is like for them.) There are 32 rescued elephants ranging from 60 year olds to seven babies - the yougest at 3 years. They are often bought or "leased" from the owner in order to keep the humans not finacially lacking from the missing elephant. One woman, Lek, started this program - she is amazing. Totally inspiring and she teaches that elephants can be taught by bananas and bread, not by breaking thier spirit. The grand daughter of a tribal shaman, she uses traditional herbal remedies to heal most wounds, including some elephants that arrived with additions to methaphetamins (to keep them working beyond normal points of exhaustion). Also, once a month each elephant is allowed to wander on their own for two days in what is called "elephant heaven", a monk protected forrest at the top of a surrounding hill to the park. (If a monk blessed piece of cloth, like what is worn by the monks, is tied around a tree then it becomes an unthinkable sacrilage to cut it down. It is a beautiful sight to see the trees wrapped in orange and red cloth. We could use that in the states.)

We started the day by getting basic elephant training on how to not get hurt by them, then we feed them by hand. Each elephant has their own basic of food based on their nutitional needs and likes. Then it was lunch - and what a fabulous lunch! A buffet of some of the best thai food I've had yet. After lunch, we walked down to the river for their afternoon bath. I couldn't get in the river because of my leg wound, but the heat was wonderful and just watching the elephants and people playing and working together was great. Then they came out and doused themselves with mud and dirt - natural sun block and insulator. There is also a mud pool that becomes the focus for the game "who gets pushed in first". Although each elephant has thier own mahoot, they are left to play on their own with their man watching at a distance. Like any young child, though, the baby elephants are unpredictable and several have entered the "testing boundaries" stage...and then there are aunties that have to intervene...and us having to scramble out of the way at a moments notice. Lek, meanwhile, is there watching them. I even got a powerful and slobbery kiss on the check from Hope, a joyous free spirited sever year old. It was great.

After the bathing, we went inside to watch a documentary on the state of elephants in thailand that is banned in Thailand and many parts of Asia. The traditional breaking of spirit is shown and it was heartbreaking. Also, the rescue of two of the elephants in the nature park including hope were shown. Amazing to see the recovery.

More eating, bathing and then us overnighters took our stuff to our rooms. Mine was a thatched bamboo hut with a double bed, mosquito netting and a light. Rustic and with a perfect view of the elephants sleeping areas. (they do have to be chained up at night to keep from wandering into neighboring properties. Less than ideal, but neccessary.) In the evening, a huge moon rose making flash lights unessary. Dinner was served and I spent most of the night chatting with the other overnighters, petting the many beautiful and healthy kitties and we even got to talk a moonlit walk to see Hope asleep on his side and snoring. So cute!

We woke with the sun at 7 am to a nice breakfast followed by a walk with the elephants down river for them to graze and be in a more natural environment. We all managed to steer clear of a few charging elephants and learned all about their incredibly complex social structure: it was like a soap opera - whom was sleeping with whom, who used to be in this "family" and is now in this one, whom is friends or aunties to whom and so on and so on.

Then back to the main huts for feeding and I spent the majority of the afternoon sitting in a sunny spot writing, watching and giving some rest to my leg and body.

It was such a beautiful place - not only physically, but also in what it is trying to do. It is so wonderful and rare to see humans and animals exsisting together in a mutually benifical, happy and healthy way. I am definetly coming back to volunteer for at least a week next time.


Last night I returned to my hotel to find a christmas party in full swing with a bbq, food and drinks for free. They insisted I stay and I was suprised with a cake, with 25 candles (they saw my passport) and "Happy Birthday Alice". Awesome. And a full moon last night. What a great birthday and great way to finish one quater of a centure and inagurate another one.

Now, I have just a few more hours left in Chiang Mai and thialand for that matter. It feels good and right to be heading back now. There was plenty of stuff I didn't get to, but all the more for next time, right?

It's been a lovely expierence. Not as glamorous as I thought it would be and hard sometimes, but totally TOTALLY worth it.

THanks for following along and all the words of encouragement. I will write when I get back to the states and post pictures.

Love, al


P.S. Merry Christmas!

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