One of our most fun stops was at the Elephant Nature Park north of Chiang Mai.
What a place! The Park was founded in 2003 by a remarkable woman, Saengduean Lek Chailert. Here’s a bit of her story, as explained on the website of the Park:
Saengduean Lek Chailert’s passion for elephants began at an early age when her grandfather, a traditional healer, was gifted an elephant named Thong Kham, which Lek grew to love and care for deeply. After witnessing the mistreatment and suffering of many elephants in the tourism industry, Lek began providing medical aid to elephants in remote villages. In the 1990s, Lek started rescuing injured, neglected, and elderly elephants and established Elephant Nature Park in Northern Thailand in 2003 as a permanent homeland for them. Today, Elephant Nature Park is home to many elephants who live free from abuse within family herds and are allowed to develop close friendships with one another.
We arrived to find what looks like a very large, energetic complex, full of enthusiastic volunteers from around the world.
Before we met any elephants, we could see a bit of the scale of the operation, and the amount of work the volunteers need to do. Such as this pile of watermelons being readied for elephant lunch.
The Park spreads over 100 hectares / 250 acres. Over 100 elephants live there.
A young staff member of the Park led our group of twelve on a walk out in the elephants’ territory. She started by telling us that we have to understand that these elephants, while mostly calm and unconcerned about us humans traipsing around, are still elephants. Then can act impulsively and unpredictably. She told us to pay attention to her at all times. There will be times when we will need to move away quickly.
From our first approach to some of these elephants — which are “small” compared to their African cousins — we got it that these animals are much much bigger than we are.
Our host explained that the Park takes in only injured animals, rescued from circuses and other exploitative enterprises, and from logging operations once they age out of that hazardous work.
We saw elephants who carry the effects of injuries, such as from stepping on a land mine, or even being stepped on by another elephant.
Some of the elephants form couples of “best friends.” One follows the other around always, or they always eat together.
We watched an elderly blind elephant feed with the help of her “best friend.”
However, some elephants have been so traumatized by their life experiences that they stay isolated, not wanting any best friends.
We visited the Park on a cool January morning. It was maybe 15 deg C / 60 deg F. A patchwork blanket covered this old lady. She needed a little protection from the cool. While we were walking around and the day was warming up, she started to tug with her trunk on the blanket from both sides. Sign that she wanted it off so she could enjoy the warm day.
This is not a breeding operation, although some of the “residents” hook up and new elephants are born.
We “met” (from a distance) a couple adolescent males. Adolescent elephants want to play, and are rambunctious and unpredictable. They can also be territorial — relative to physical territory and also their own family group. We saw one youngster who wanted to check out another youngster’s group and their food. When the first one blithely gamboled over toward the other’s group, the second charged. Our host quickly said, “Let’s back up quickly; come over here away from these two.” None of us needed to be told a second time. The two of them sparred and butted heads, while tromping all over the open area.
Finally, the interloper gave up, and the defender rejoined his elders at a feeding station.
Mahout is the term for the person who works uniquely with an elephant. Each mahout works 6 days out of 7. On their day off, one of their colleagues steps in. Some of the elephants are clearly not happy when their mahout is absent. In addition, some elephants show jealous behavior if they see their mahout giving another elephant attention.
Mom elephants care for their young until they don’t. You’re on your own now, boy; now let me eat! And boy do they eat!
What a fabulous place to visit. We’d like to have more experiences up close and personal with elephants!
PS: Elephant pants!
In all the tourist areas, and on most of us fellow tourists — and even on many locals — there are delightful elephant pants, and elephant shirts and elephant dresses!
There’s something infectiously fun about them. They’re lightweight, so perfect for Thailand’s tropical environment. And, we think, perfect for around the house at home on warm days. Lovely useful reminder of our good times in Thailand.
January 2025