Despite some trepidation, we are excited about the long anticipated adventure of riding an elephant. It is a gorgeous day. The sun is shining. The temperature is perfect. But FIRST, we have to endure yet another one-and-a-half-hour drive through clogged roads. We’re heading to an area that hosts about 30 private elephant sanctuaries. Twenty years ago, the elephant population of northern Thailand exceeded one hundred thousand. At their peak, they were the engine in the logging of teak and other woods. When the government curtailed the teak business, elephants lost their jobs. Combined with the reduction of open range as people encroached on their territory, the lack of food and poaching, their numbers have dwindled down to about 1500 in the wild. An elephant consumes about 500 lbs. of plant life each day. Hence the availability of food serves as nature’s regulator to manage population size.
Elephant orientation class.
Commands or controls on our elephants rides.
Upon arriving at the camp, our first order of business was to change into blue, cotton ‘elephant riding’ clothes so we may play in the mud ponds and river with elephants. This was followed by a presentation to become more familiar with elephants. We had to learn several commands –the command to sit down so you could get on, then the command to stand up, and the commands to go forward, stop, turn left, and turn right. Little did we know that the elephants would ignore our commands and waited for their mahout to issue the command. They also showed us the hook that they use to train or correct behavior of the elephants. This bothers me despite his effort to sell it as rarely used. Didn’t we just eliminate in elephants from the circus because of the training method with hooks?
First a prayer and some incense for a safe ride with the elephants.
Some serious praying.
Many elephants have been rescued and now live in sanctuaries like the one we’re visiting today, which has 17 elephants. While it’s an honorable endeavor to care for these animals and feed them a steady supply of food, it is a distortion of their life in the wild. The basic issue here is that in the wild they live within their matriarch-led herd. A collection of random elephants does not make a family. It is a collection of elephants from many different herds, and so they don’t function or behave as a caring, loving family.
Every elephant has a 1:1 relationship with a mahout who is always there and takes care of his animal. Starting at about 6 AM, the mahout cleans up the droppings, feeds her, washes her, rides her, touches her while spending the whole day with her, up to and including bedtime when he ‘tucks her in’ for the night.
We have a group decision to make: We can either go on the long ride through the jungle, stop at a mud bath (aka elephant spa) and give them a treatment, then proceed to the river for water play before returning to camp; or a short ride up the hill, then return to camp for lunch before proceeding to the river. Our decision: Lets go for the BIG one – fearless in the bath of inexperience and optimism.
Making friends with our ride – the elephants. Loving the sugar cane.
It was time to meet our elephants and to make friends with them. They arrive at the meet-and-greet site with their mahout riding on top. Each met their elephant for the day. One makes friends by feeding them a basket full of sugar cane. They loved it and we were immediately made BFFs. They also loved to have their foreheads stroked as a sign of affection. Our host showed us how to get on by stepping on their leg and grabbing the base of their ear, then hoist up and swing your left leg… just like getting on a horse. But wait! There is no saddle, no saddle horn to hold on to – just rope loop around her body. My elephant’s name is Boshoo and she is 46 years old (they use female elephants for these rides because they are much more docile and easier to handle). It’s my turn to scramble on. The intended sitting area is on the neck area, just behind the cranial bone. Without my command and to my surprise, Boshoo stands up. Whoha- this is really high up – as every muscle in my body is engaged in staying on board. In desperation, I grabbed the rope behind me with one hand, while the other is clutching at the few, three-inch length hairs on her forehead. This is not the time to worry about the pain I may be inflicting or that I might pull out some of her the hair.
Roselie hugging her new BFF.
Time to get on board Boohoo – it’s a long way up.
Struggling to get up, because Minshee is not cooperating.
Successfully on our mounts.
The rest of our group mounted their ride with some help from the mahouts. That is, all but one. Roselie’s elephant, Minshee, a 17 year old female, balked and did not cooperate. So they recommended Roselie instead walk next to her. Well that isn’t much fun, but it seems a lot safer. We learned later that Boshoo was out of sorts. First, her mahout had to leave for a family situation, so Minshee had a substitute mahout. Second and more important, she had a long and eventful night. A couple of months ago they tried to mate her with a huge bull elephant. She completely rejected him. A couple of weeks ago she seems to have a change of heart and fell madly in love with the same bull, wanting to be around him all the time, bellowing all night long if she was separated from him. So last night they gave up and put her in the enclosure with her love. According to her mahout, she didn’t get a lot sleep and was in pain this morning. TMI!
Head them out!
Such a wonderful soft ride.
Helen is hanging on…with grace, of course.
Great view from the top.
Out into the jungle.
Time to head out in a single file, into the jungle, up the hill, with a mahout walking next to each of us. Not much consolation since my mahout is just a little, young guy who can’t possible catch me if I get jettisoned off. Issuing commands with my loudest, authoritarian voice was pointless and completely ignored. They assured us that these animals lumber along and move very slowly, but warned us that they do like to snack along the way. When spotting a delectable morsel, they stop, grab shrubs from the sides of the path, or branches off trees overhead and take a moment to devour it. As they reach for these snacks, they would jerk their heads around… you know, the one I’m sitting on. The first time I almost lost it, but the little mahout grabbed my leg just in time to pull me back into position. He didn’t have to catch me, just keep me on board. Helen’s mount stopped every few steps for a bite, slowing down the whole column. After asking several times, if we’re there yet, our host decided to switch from the long ride to the short ride. Going back down the hill to the camp was even more precarious… it’s all about survival at this point.
The bad-boy teenager sporting modern red hair.
It felt so good to get off. Just like taking your ski boots off after a day of skiing. At lunch back at camp, we met an American, John, mid-60’s, who came here about three years ago, fell in love with the place and elephants, and decided to move here. He had a small house built adjacent to the sanctuary and spends most days with the elephants. A couple of years ago, he purchased two elephants. A very young 5-year-old male for $15,000 and a young female for $40,000 – the one Roselie couldn’t ride. While the young male was initially very cute and followed him around everywhere, he is now into his teen years – disobeys, is obstinate and belligerent, and wants nothing to do with John – in other words a real pain. John decided to hand this young male over to a mahout and to avoid him until he is about 17 years old, when he should be more reasonable.
John invited us to see his two elephants and his single room hut. They were in the same area as the other elephants that we had ridden earlier. To my surprise, each was chained by one leg to an anchor spot. The length of chain limiting how close each could get to any other elephant. I find this treatment worse than that in a typical zoo. They rationalize that they need to do this to prevent conflict between some of them, given they come from different herds. Since it costs about $10,000 a month to feed the 17 animals, they need the money from these tourist experiences to pay for it. Let me get this straight: they have a great life because they are very well fed and taken care of, in exchange for having to be chained up and isolated from others. It doesn’t help when John brings special treats of sugar cane to his young male and to Minshee. The elephants all see that Minshee is getting special treatment, so there is general animosity towards her… they don’t like her. Certainly elephant areas like the San Diego Zoo African Safari would deliver a much better life.
We’re going to ride down to the river, rather than ride our elephants.
Hanging out with BFF in the river.
Oooppss! Boohoo just knocked Roselie off her leg.
Getting an elephant shower – she’s having fun spraying us.
Next up was to head for the river. Normally, the guests would ride their elephant-for-the-day to the river. We thought it best if we walked and the mahouts would bring them down. They love to play in the water and with each other. They like to be splashed and touched. They would trumpet with delight and spray us with water. It was a great photo-op to sit, cradled on their legs. They would lift us into the air on their trunks. Cristina enjoyed it so much that she had two rides. She also enjoyed (I think) getting her face kissed with a trunk-kiss. Everyone had a turn, but one. I decided to pass! Euch!
Ride ’em elephant wrangler.
Cristina gets a little love from her BFF.
Roselie loves animal kisses! Euch!
Yes, we survived the river experience. So did Boshoo!
Shedding our wet, elephant-dirty uniforms and showering, it was time for the tortuous ride back to our hotel. What a great day! Elephants are truly special.
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