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Published: November 5th 2009
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Elephant Adventure
Patara Elephant Farm - near Chiang Mai We spent the day at Patara Elephant Farm on a magnificent adventure. Elephants are lovable animals, BUT, they eat constantly and they poop every 2 hours, about 6 or 7 bocce-ball-sized whoppers. And you don't want to stand behind them.... This particular operation is unique in the Chiang Mai area in that their mission is to increase the elephant population by natural means, as opposed to the artificial insemination done at other places, which, as Pat says, produces babies, but also produces mothers who have no idea why they are pregnant and thus don't develop maternal instincts. An interesting tidbit is that all the domestic elephants in Thailand have microchips embedded in their skin and they are licensed, not like a cat or a dog, but by the Department of Commerce, just as a truck is.
Pre-flight inspection
We learned first about the care and feeding of the pachyderms, which included picking up a poop with bare hands (my mahout took pity on me and did it himself with me watching) to check it for moisture content, length of fibers (to make sure the elephant was digesting it properly) and SMELL (it didn't smell any worse than
a compost pile, which, when you come right down to it, it really is. Then we had to brush the loose dirt off the beast and then take him into the stream, douse him with buckets of water, and scrub him down so that the grit doesn't chafe his skin when you ride.
Alley Oop
Next was learning to get on the elephant's back. No howdahs here - we're talking bareback riding. Our elephants were parceled out based on size and temperament. I got a 7-year-old bull name Pujan and Bruce a huge 12-year-old named Dodo, who, as Bruce said, would have won best-of-show at Westminter Kennel Club. There were 2 methods of uploading - one, by commanding the elephant to raise his foot so you stepped on his foot and then his knee and threw your leg over his back - easy for HIM to say. The other was by having the beast curl his trunk so you stepped on it and then he raises it to his head where you would climb on facing backwards and then turn yourself around so you were sitting on the elephant's head. No matter which method, you were
Cheat Sheet
Commands in Thai with English Translation really high in the air with no seat belt. You sit on the neck and put your feet behind the ears. The only help is a rope tied around his waist that you can reach back and grab, but it's still rather scary. All we could think of is that they must not have OSHA in Thailand!
Over Hill, Over Dale
Finally it was time to ride. With the mahout-elephant whisperer walking beside we were on our way - up hill, down bigger hill, through mud slops, for well over an hour. I have no illusions that I was giving any direction especially in my pidjin Thai - I'll bet he was laughing at me when I wasn't looking. The mahout kept a steady stream of soft chatter with Pujan and I'm sure with the right accent. I was simply a hood ornament. However, in case the mahout dropped dead I had a cheat sheet of terms written all down my left arm. Finally we arrived at the stream, where we got into the water with our steeds and proceeded to bathe them again, leaping off just in time to keep from getting rolled over on. While
Huge Mudholes
Navigating them like they weren't even there. we ate a delicious spread of fried chicken (would have done KFC proud) and all manner of fruits and sticky rice treats) on the ledge above the waterfall, the younger elephants, including Pujan and 3 young females, cavorted in the pool below only a few feet away. It was so much fun to see how they love to play and push each other. Another ride through the jungle and it was time to say good-bye to our new-found friends.
Pat's philosophy is that nobody owns the elephants; we are simply their care-takers for a time. The Patara Elephant Farm logo says it all. Instead of having the heads of elephants as their symbol they have the rear ends. As he said, the elephants come first - we are here to follow their lead.
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Laurie Tema-Lyn
non-member comment
elephants
Sandy; This is so lovely! L