Eye to Eye with Elephants

Back in the days when I worked in development, we had a corny saying:  Fundraising begins with FUN...the notion being that when donors feel connected with your program in way that giving is a pleasure, the giving comes naturally.  Baan Chang Elephant Park really gets this concept.  This preserve not only rescues and rehabilitates abused elephants but also keeps them healthy and exercised and entertained by having curious folks like us come and participate in their upkeep.

Our small group was collected by minivan early in the morning and driven an hour out to the countryside, re-dressed in traditional garb, and set to work.  Our first task was feeding the elephants bananas and sugar cane.  

Sophie is feeding the first baby born in the preserve.

Here's a little video: 

After breakfast, we learned about the journey these beautiful creatures took to come to this preserve, about some of their problems, how they were treated then versus now and about their prodigious drinking and eating...outputs were demonstrated frequently during our stay, and while prodigious, surprisingly not stinky.  For those in the early childhood stages of life....elephant poop is about the size of a large grapefruit and looks like a grassy ball. 

Then we learned the proper way to climb on, sit on and give commands (these elephants speak Burmese).  Unlike riding a horse, one sits astride the "shoulders" with the legs tucked behind the ears.  A command word and a gentle nudge behind the right ear turns the elephant to the left.  To go forward, another command and nudge behind both ears.  To stop, squeeze the legs together.

    

Teams of two were made to take the elephants on a one-hour trek through the jungle.  

My elephant was a sweety, and fairly obedient until she saw a nice stand of bamboo and decided to have a snack...

After the hike, elephants like to do what we all do...take a bath. 

 All Clean!

 They called her The Elephant Whisperer....

(Actually, the handler had been trying to get her to spray me with her trunk (eww), and I was trying to convince her otherwise!)

 

Elephant Kisses

All in all, an experience we'll never forget