Enjoy the pictures below and check out Lek's impressive work on her website www.elephantnaturepark.org.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand
One of the most memorable experiences of this trip was our day at the Elephant Nature park located one hour north of Chiang Mai. I had read rave reviews about this elephant experience and wanting the most humane way to see elephants we chose this highly touted center. The owner, Lek, a Thai woman, is now famous for her efforts to save elephants from exploitation and hardship by bringing them to her jungle sanctuary. Here, they don't have to carry people on their backs in howdahs or perform for audiences, they only have to walk around, eat melons and bananas from our hands, allow us to bathe them in the river and pose next with them for pictures. The option to ride on a elephant's back is very popular among tourists in Laos and Thailand and many people that we met had done just that, but it is actually dangerous and painful for an elephant to carry anything on that part of their back. There is a correct way to sit atop an elephant by placing yourself at their neck, this is how mahouts sit without harming the elephant. (A mahout is an elephant's protector, trainer, leader and trusty companion.) We learned a whole lot about elephant life, how they mate, their friendships with each other and how sweet baby elephants can be!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment