Elephant Nature Park, Thailand

Bathtime in the river

BEN:

We traveled to the park in a small van. Once there, we were assigned rooms. In the park there are 38 elephants. We did all sorts of chores. We shoveled elephant and buffalo poo. We bathed and fed the elephants. Some times we went with a nurse to help give special medicines to the elephants. We do some other things too sometimes, including going up to elephant heaven with some of the elephants. Elephant heaven is another one of their properties that is in the jungle. They take elephants up there so that they can get used the jungle for when they are set free.   

 

DAVE:

We met many people from around the world who were volunteering at the park including Belgium, Australia, England, Germany, USA and quite a number of Canadians.  Our neighbours were 2 gals from Montreal.  The food was excellent and was buffet style so we had to work hard to keep the pounds off.  The staff were quite friendly and fun, some of the volunteers were a bit flaky and didn’t shave their armpits but this is expected at an elephant hugger park.  The park also had about 50 dogs of various sizes and breeds who watched over each of the cabin units.  Ours also had 2 cats to go with the dogs.  The cats tended to visit late at night or in the bathroom.  The dogs waited until about 3 am and then decided to have a go at something or each other, earplugs became mandatory.  We had a number of different jobs at the park including, fixing the elephant eating deck, repairing fencing, staining cabins etc.  It was good to use some carpentry skills and not just poop scoop.

 

HEATHER:

I’m sitting in the doorway of our split bamboo cabin on stilts, looking over at Boon Khun (BK for short), a 60 year old bull elephant currently “in must”, ie on the make and therefore on a 40 m ankle chain to prevent him causing harm to himself or the other animal or human residents of the park.  He is the oldest and biggest of the 3 bulls and last year stayed in must for 7 months.  Other elephants are free to visit him but breeding is not part of the park’s agenda so if it happens, it’s a bonus.  Beyond BK are the dry fields and smoke-hazed hills that give the whole scene an “out of Africa” feel. 

 

That was probably my favourite thing about our week at the park: the peaceful (though not quiet!) natural setting in a river valley with lots of space for the elephants to roam, although they tend to stay in their family groups of 2-3 females with 1-2 youngsters.  It is a bit unnerving how similar to humans they are in many ways…their life expectancy, family relationships, and child-rearing.  And as one of the staff mentioned, big hips and lots of wrinkles are highly regarded in the elephant world!

 

It was great to have your day and food pretty much planned for you, a bit like summer camp, which was a welcome break after 5 months on the road.  Unlike most summer camps, however, the food was excellent, mostly vegetarian Thai, and there were always French fries at lunch so Ben was happy.

 

The hike up to “Elephant Heaven” was also a high point…literally.  We followed six of the herd up into the hills, to the original park lodge which was rustic to say the least.  It has a mud bath pit for the elephants which was a hoot to watch.  Dave and Ben chose not to spend the night claiming that they got to do lots of camping out with scouts back home.  Not so for me so I toughed it out with the younger crowd who stayed and enjoyed the campfire and conversation; I did pull rank when it came to bunkies and grabbed the only single grass mat.

 

I didn’t develop a close bond with any one elephant as some of the other volunteers did, but I did come away with a sense of awe at their gentleness, sensitivity (Max would cry when his abcess was being cleaned but wouldn’t budge) and their dexterity, especially their trunks which could retrieve the tiniest banana.  Elephants have been revered in Thai culture and spiritual life for centuries so it is shocking to find out how cruelly they are treated in their working environments in logging camps, trekking operations and “begging” on city streets.  Their population in Thailand has also plummeted from 100,000 one hundred years ago to about 1500 today. 

 

The petite Thai woman, Lek Chailert, who started the park and its Jumbo Express program to treat sick elephants in outlying villages is a pioneer in alternative elephant care and training methods.  She has been recognized outside her country by organizations such as National Geographic and Time Magazine but is only now attracting interest from other elephant camps who often exploit their animals.  Her park is a true eco-tourism example that is turning a good profit and hopefully other parks will follow her lead. 

 

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