Elephants are the most revered animal in Thai culture. They are found at temples, the namesake of the national beer, shirts, tourist pants, and just about any form of art work-yet they generally don't get treated with any bit of respect.
There's as many tourist shops as 7/11s offering to take you elephant riding or to "sanctuaries." I've heard and read stories of people checking these out for the thrill of seeing/riding elephants only to be disappointed by the way they're treated. But with a steady flow of tourists, they continue to thrive. After some research and recommendations from other travellers, I decided to spend a week at Elephant Nature Park, a 1.5hr bus ride into the mountains north of Chiang Mai.
Elephants are a big part of the tourism industry in Thailand: baby elephants beg for money on city streets; colorfully decorated elephants perform at circuses and festivals; elephant painters are carefully controlled with a nail dug into their ear; elephants spend their days carrying tourists on a heavy carriage ratcheted down to their back; though now illegal, the logging industry still relies on elephants to pull massive logs out of the forest with chains strapped around their necks. And when they misbehave, they get a hook (pick axe) dug into their thick but sensitive skin or eyes.
Most of these elephants went through training to follow unnatural orders from their handlers, or mahouts. Poachers forcefully remove the young from their mother in the wild and put them through phajaan, or "the crush." It's the idea that an elephant's spirit can be separated from its body, and without a soul it will follow the orders of its mahout.
We were shown a tough to watch video of what's entailed in phajaan...they are tied up, starved, tortured, beat down, and broken for days until they submit to human orders out of fear. Some try to commit suicide by stepping on or biting their own trunks.
"Lek" grew up in a hill tribe in the north of Thailand and developed a love for animals. After realizing what elephants were used for and that there had to be a better way, she started Elephant Nature Park as a sanctuary for elephants who have suffered at the hands of man. She started with 4 elephants and now has more than 70. They each have a story-all have horrible memories, some are also blind, handicapped, and physically scarred.
In 2011, 70% of Thailand was underwater from devastating floods. Lek's love for animals brought her down to Bangkok to rescue stranded dogs; she now has nearly 500 dogs onsite and a number of cats, water buffalo, horses, and more that roam the grounds. As we sat on our porch, elephants walked by and dogs and cats came begging for belly rubs.
As a volunteer (you pay for the experience), you're given decent but simple housing with mosquito nets, cold showers, three vegetarian meals served buffet style each day, some daily tasks, and plenty of time to explore the grounds and hang out with other travellers from around the world.
The first evening kicked off with a blessing for long lives of happiness from the local shaman. The food was all excellent and I can't say I missed meat all week. Morning and afternoon work included:
Even though we only worked a few hours each in the morning and afternoon, between the labor, hot sun, and wet season downpours, we stayed pretty soaked, muddy, and tired.
One day we traveled to Muangkud School in the nearby village for a visit. They take in students from everywhere-many are kids of the ENP mahouts, who are mostly Burmese refugees. Most won't have money for college, so they are also taught skills they can put to use after school; the courtyard is setup for visitors for them to practice with.
There were some fine young cooks serving up delicious cookies and shakes. A few enthusiastic guides-in-training took us on a simulated kayak ride. Another group practiced bracelet making, while another performed traditional dancing. Probably the hardest workout of the week commenced once a football appeared. These youngsters were quick and fearless, and a blast to play with.
After a week of some hard labor, sweat, and mud, I went to prison to recover. Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institute has a training program for their inmates, who operate a restaurant, shop, and massage place. It's a great way to prepare prisoners for success upon their release. I figured it was time I tried a famous Thai massage, and it was just what I needed. Aside from a couple prison guards, you wouldn't know there's anything different about this place.
On the way in, I ran into a couple of volunteers from the week prior. On the way out, I saw another who was waiting in line for hers. We swapped travel plans and parted ways. North Thailand has been great, but it's time to see what the buzz is about all those islands down south.
- Preparing elephant food-elephants eat tons of food daily. Without a vast jungle for them to feed naturally, there's a working kitchen that constantly unloads watermelon, corn, bananas, pineapples, pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers. Some are washed and cut for older elephants without teeth, who also get rice balls made up. The best part is taking these goodies out to feed some of the elephants. They are an amazing animal to watch eat as they can delicately pickup a banana from your hand, peel it, and toss it in their mouth, yet their teeth can crush a pineapple with ease.
- Cutting corn-an hour ride on the back of a flatbed brought us to a corn field. Corn is fully grown after three months here, when it's harvested. ENP then buys the stalks, which we came to cut, armed with sickles. After a morning of farm work under the blistering sun, a cold shower never felt so good.
- Bathing elephants-splashing water on them in the river to cool them off, after which they promptly roll in the mud for sun protection.
- Elephant walk-our guide would take us around the grounds, sharing stories of where each elephant came from. Some were missing ears, had broken legs, or were blind. Ages ranged from one year to over 80.
- Poo scooping-they eat lot...so this was a common task
- Weeding in the gardens, which supply their (human) kitchen
One day we traveled to Muangkud School in the nearby village for a visit. They take in students from everywhere-many are kids of the ENP mahouts, who are mostly Burmese refugees. Most won't have money for college, so they are also taught skills they can put to use after school; the courtyard is setup for visitors for them to practice with.
There were some fine young cooks serving up delicious cookies and shakes. A few enthusiastic guides-in-training took us on a simulated kayak ride. Another group practiced bracelet making, while another performed traditional dancing. Probably the hardest workout of the week commenced once a football appeared. These youngsters were quick and fearless, and a blast to play with.
Each evening after dinner there were things to do: movies, Thai culture and language lessons, a performance from a band of mahouts (flutes and a couple handmade percussion instruments).
Lek came back from Burma on our last night, where she's working to start another project similar to this one. She spoke with us for over an hour, and is a driven lady very passionate about what she does. She faced major opposition from the village and many in the tourism industry-after all, she appeared to be a threat to their livelihood. She gained their trust as she became a source of employment for housekeepers, cooks, masseuses, laborers, and farmers who support her project. Instead of attacking neighboring establishments that are less elephant friendly, she's trying to educate them and teach them that a true sanctuary is in fact a viable business model. A few have already changed their ways.
After a week of some hard labor, sweat, and mud, I went to prison to recover. Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institute has a training program for their inmates, who operate a restaurant, shop, and massage place. It's a great way to prepare prisoners for success upon their release. I figured it was time I tried a famous Thai massage, and it was just what I needed. Aside from a couple prison guards, you wouldn't know there's anything different about this place.
On the way in, I ran into a couple of volunteers from the week prior. On the way out, I saw another who was waiting in line for hers. We swapped travel plans and parted ways. North Thailand has been great, but it's time to see what the buzz is about all those islands down south.