Ele Kitchen

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This morning we had breakfast, and every meal here is a delight as you can just have whatever looks good and help yourself. My chores today are in the elephant kitchen which is fun as you can have music on. We unload tonnes of bananas, pumpkins, pineapples and watermelons, stack them and wash them with disinfectant before they are chopped up with a machete into the baskets for feeding time. Then the elephants are fed when they come up to the platform by putting each piece into their trunks, that job never gets old. Then the elephants have their bath which I’ve done a few of but am avoiding from now on because it’s fun but it can’t be good for the healing process. Unloading the trucks is around the clock, elephants just never stop eating and in a practical note, it costs a fortune, $250,000 dollars a year to run the park. Meeting great people here, people are pulled from all over the country and it’s great to have something common to work for. The more you hear about Lek, her life and her dreams, the more you just have to do something to help. Everyone has been very keen on working with the baby and at times it’s gotten a bit crazy. I did something out of character which is to insist that I’m a good choice to do this and I think I really believe it. Most people want to do it as a tourist but I want to be there as carer, it doesn’t matter that it’s an elephant not a person. People want to learn how to do it, but here isn’t time, he’s not well enough to be played with he needs critical care. This has been emphasised when people have brought cameras in the first chance they get and to me it’s just crazy as I’m treating it like work. Infection control, report and record, hydration and nutrition status, the lot. I was getting worried that I’d be left out the loop and was relived to be invited back having given them the space to schedule and deal with all the people clamouring for a spot. Up at 4am, best get to bed,



Peace, love and be well, from Katie xx

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