Today was seriously one of the best days of our whole trip so far. We were both so lucky to grab one of the few spaces available to visit the most spectacular Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai – one of the only ethical and animal friendly parks in Asia.
Our fantastic tour guide (Goy) picked us up from our hotel early in the morning and we set off on the long drive to the Chiang Mai mountains. On the way, Goy told us all about what the park does for the rescued elephants and how the sanctuary is now a home for 64 elephants, over 400 rescued dogs, cats, boars, pigs… you name it, they had it!
The park was opened in 1995 and originally had only 4 elephants… The owner apparently is running low on space and her hope is to open even more sanctuaries across Asia. The aim of the sanctuary is to save the remaining Asian elephants who are being used, abused and subjected to a brutal life of work through the likes of trekking, street begging and logging. Many people in Thailand own their elephant, much like owning a dog or a cat, therefore there is little than can be done with some. These people own the rights to their animal and can pretty much do whatever they want – even if that means treating their pet unfairly to make money. Seems very wrong if you ask me!
Our morning began with feeding some of the loveable creatures. Elephants here are accustomed to routine, therefore feeding must always be at 10am. Turns out, these animal eat for an enormous 15 hours of their day!! They live off a diet of fruit and veg so are pretty healthy – although it does cost the park $250,000 a year to feed all of the animals.
Their lives in the sanctuary consist of eating, eating and eating… which is a far cry from their previous world. All of the elephants have worked so hard their whole life before being saved and brought here. They worked in terrible conditions and have to go through a thorough training program before they are able to live freely among other elephants. To see how happy they are now is truly amazing.
You cannot torment or tease the elephants with food as you would with a dog. They want the food, therefore you must give it to them… No tricks allowed here. What is surprising is just how gentle they are when taking the fruits and so gracious when treated with respect.
The first elephant we met was called Buma, an original working elephant rescued and brought into the sanctuary. We fed her more food and got some great pictures. The park actually only has 8 male elephants who are aggressive, therefore kept away from tourists. You can distinguish the males from the females easily by their tusks, as only males have them. The females were all very friendly though and Goy certainly knew exactly how to approach every one with ease.
We then met Grandma who is the oldest elephant in the park, at a whopping 75 years old. She was so unique and had a flower in her ear, as Goy mentioned she liked to feel pretty. She was incredibly gentle and loving and even let us take a selfie (or should we say elfie) with her.
Isn’t she glamorous!!
After saying goodbye to Grandma, we walked further into the fields and met a whole bunch of elephants who were ready for more food. The park is also home to 400 dogs and many run around the park and play with the elephants. This is Champen who apparently has 2 doggy best friends. It was so great to see the animals get along. I was in heaven!
Some of the elephant’s stories are so heartbreaking, I was almost reduced to tears listening to them. After asking why certain elephants were isolated, Goy explained how some were so traumatised that training was not enough. For instance, one we saw had a bright purple foot, who sadly had stood on a land mine during a war and could not walk on any water incase of infection. The poor elephant has to remain in a dry shelter for life.
This family of elephants below are known as a handicapped family, as all of them have experienced torment in their lives. They are a family of 5 with 2 of the elephants being blind and 2 scarred from standing on more land mines, making it difficult for them to walk properly. The final poor member of the family had been hit by a truck whilst working.
Despite their struggles, they were all very protective of one another, in particular the adorable baby named Yindee. You could not get too close to their little baby Yindee otherwise there would be hell to pay. He was so cute and the youngest elephant in the park at just 1 year old.
Perhaps the saddest story of all was the life of my favourite elephant in the park, Jokia. She had endured such cruelty and I could not help but feel for her. She was rescued after being subjected to a life of logging – which is thankfully now banned.
Whilst climbing up a mountain carrying heavy logs, Jokia gave birth as she was pregnant at that time. The baby (still in the sack) fell down the hill and didn’t make it. After that shock, Jokia then lay down and refused to work due to losing her baby. Her owner got angry at her for stopping and sling shotted her eye with a rock, causing her to go blind.
Reacting badly as she would, Jokia got aggressive and her owner then went on to stab her in the other eye. She now has no eye and it blind in the other one. It was devastating to hear this story and I am so thankful she has a place to grow old and be happy – even without her baby…
She was just the most special elephant and I definitely will never forget meeting her and looking at the tears in her eye. According to Goy, she forever has those tears now.
This elephant below is in-fact an albino elephant, as you can see how much lighter in colour she is compared to the rest. Goy explained how Asian elephants are also smaller than their African cousins and their ears are a third of the size. All of the elephants in the sanctuary are Asian elephants. We learned how elephants use their trunk 60% of the time, ears 30% and their eyes only 10% to sense. They can only see sideways hence why you should never stand directly in-front or behind an elephant.
The funny little elephant above is Lucky. She was rescued from the circus and brought to freedom in 2006. Goy explained how she would perform every single night and be forced to draw pictures for the crowds at each show. She is now a blind elephant due to bright spotlights shining in her eyes constantly. Turns out her owner just gave up on her and the sanctuary didn’t even have to buy her. She just became useless for them and they had no need for a blind elephant. She is still young at aged 25 and will spend the rest of her life being looked after. She was still pretty hungry in this picture hence why she chose to eat the roof…
After a great little buffet lunch, we headed down to the river for bathing time. This was such a fun experience and the elephants looked like they had a blast. Turns out, they love water and being bathed as it helps to cool them down. What’s funny is that once they have been bathed, they then like to coat themselves in mud as it helps keep them cool and also acts as sunscreen. The orangey skin on their trunks is in fact sun burn. The other spots you see are just signs of old age much like humans get.
I will forever remember this day as we continue with our travels. I have learned so much about these beautiful majestic creatures and everything the sanctuary provides for them is amazing for helping keep them safe and happy. They have a proper life here, away from slavery and can enjoy a natural habitat and be well cared for.
I have always believed elephant trekking is cruel and after hearing exactly what these elephants are put through, I will vow never to give any sort of money to such tourist traps. Elephants are worked to the bone, carrying up to 4 full-size humans on their backs from dawn until dusk – with no break. Elephants are still used for street begging however, far less now in society. Sadly, owners know they can make more money through trekking.
I’m just glad I got to see the elephants in their new life…
I hope you have enjoyed reading up on our day.
Be sure to check my blog again soon.
Lots of love,
Xx
