An elephant's paradise

Location:
Thailand

Volunteering with elephants

By Naomi Hamersley

It was in my last week in Thailand that I fell completely, head-over-heels in love -- with elephants. I decided to volunteer at the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary that rescues abused domestic elephants from all over the country, and brings them to a 40 acre tract of land surrounded by mountains, forest and a river about an hour north of Chiang Mai. There, these weary creatures can roam freely, interact with each other and just be elephants - no trekking, no begging food from tourists, no circus tricks.

When we first arrived at the park, I knew this was indeed an elephant's paradise. They were everywhere! Some were wandering leisurely through the grass; others were hanging out near the platform waiting anxiously for their food while nearby three baby elephants played with a tire swing.

It was an eye opening first day - we learned about the horrific abuse domestic elephants in Thailand suffer and the Elephant Nature Park’s mission to change the way Thailand treats what is supposed to be a revered Buddhist icon and national symbol. Elephant tourism is a huge business in Thailand, but unfortunately, many of the elephants in trekking camps and begging in city streets are malnourished, mistreated and overworked.

Many of the elephants at the park had suffered agonizing treatment from their former owners and mahouts (trainers) before they were rescued - "Jokia" was blinded with arrows and sticks, "Lilly" was fed amphetamines and had to work as a trekking elephant during the day and illegal logging at night. This particular elephant ("Mae") was forced to breed at too young an age and her back was broken by the aggressive male elephant. It was a sobering first day.

And yes... in case you're wondering, as a volunteer, I picked up elephant poo. Lots of it! We also prepared their food, fed them and bathed them in the river. There was also a lot of grunt work and very hard physical tasks such as hacking down banana trees with machetes, repairing a damaged roof, carrying heavy loads of bamboo up a mountain.

Even though my body ached, my knees creaked and I've never been so stinky and dirty in my life, I enjoyed every moment, especially when we got to see the elephants enjoy the fruits of our labour. For example, we had to dig out a huge mud pit with shovels and buckets; standing knee deep in a pool of muddy water, it was backbreaking work in the blazing sun. But seeing these baby elephants and even some of the adults sliding around and playing in the pit was worth every aching muscle!

The best part of the week was getting close with the elephants, learning their different personalities and watching how they behave with each other. Every day, we got to hand feed the elephants and feel the strength of their trunks as they reached for the bananas or watermelon.

In the river, we threw buckets of water on the elephants and used brushes to scrub their tough skin. On one magical overnight trip, we walked with one of the families (a baby, mother, aunt and a couple of males) up a mountain and into the jungle where they were released to wander and forage. But it was the unexpected moments that I will always remember, like walking down from the volunteer huts to the main area and having a baby and mother walk nonchalantly across my path. Or hearing the sound of an elephant trumpet reverberating through the park and bouncing back from the surrounding mountains, sending shivers down my spine.

I especially loved watching the passion and devotion with which the mothers and aunts protected their babies. I will never forget the image of one mother who heard her baby squeal and immediately thundered across the meadow at an incredible speed to get to him. With ears flaring, the dust rising around her feet, it was an awesome and somewhat scary sight, especially since we were in her direct path. We quickly moved out of the way of course!

All in all, it was an unforgettable experience... and if you would like to enjoy elephants in Thailand, I would encourage you to skip the hundreds of trekking camps throughout the country and head to the Elephant Nature Park instead.

Further Information

Travel tips: The Elephant Nature Park has become quite popular - if you want to volunteer, check out their website ahead of time and book early.

Must see/do at this place: Just relax and enjoy the quiet moments of watching the elephants. I can't think of any other opportunity where you can be this close and spend this much time with these fascinating and beautiful animals.

You should avoid here: Follow the safety advice of the Park staff; although domesticated, these elephants can be unpredictable and dangerous. A healthy respect for these animals is required!