For the Love of Elephants

A plethora of beautiful temples. Night markets filled with delicious selections of the local cuisine. Waterfalls, mountains… It is easy to understand why Chiang Mai is a hugely popular stop on any traveler’s Thailand itinerary. Mix in the more adventurous options like zip lining, jungle trekking, and off-track dirt bike expeditions and there is surely something for everyone. Oh, and let’s not forget the elephants…oh, the elephants!

The opportunity to have a close encounter with a few of these compassionate and majestic creatures was a thought that wildly excited me. Just a chance to sit and watch- watch them interact and play with each other- seemed like the makings of an experience that would stick in the mind and heart for a lifetime.

We had done the research. We were well aware of the elephant conservation movement evolving in Thailand. Long a beast of burden for farming and logging, the Asian elephant has also historically been the center of another type if industry: tourism. Riding safaris have long brought big bucks into the region by throngs of travelers wanting an elephant experience. The sad reality is that the work involved to train an elephant often involves cruelty and beatings- breaking the animal’s spirit so that she can then go on to spend her life wearing a saddle and carting humans about for hours a day. They are exploited, overworked, and forced to carry an unhealthy amount of weight on their backs, all in the name ‘fun’. (The combination of the large saddle and human riders causes pain and can result in spinal damage.) As information about the impact of this practice has spread and more people have become aware to the sad plight of the elephant, things have begun to change for the better.

We knew that we wanted our tourist dollars to go toward supporting the ethical treatment and rehabilitation of elephants- toward companies that were striving to rescue these sensitive creatures, and save them from lives of hard labour. Unfortunately, the handful of big conservation centers in the area that have a lot of good press surrounding them also have a relatively large price tag. Of course, it is totally worth it- the money is going to a great cause… but we had already maxed out our budget for this trip by booking nice hotels and a few days of scuba diving in the Similian Islands. We were a bit disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to have our unique elephant experience, but it was something to look forward to in the future.

A couple of days after we arrived in Chiang Mai I noticed a small pamphlet for an elephant sanctuary at our hotel – for about half the price of the others I had been looking into. Fueled by excitement, we jumped at the opportunity. With a quick phone call from the front desk manager, our spot was secured. In the back of our minds was a small seed of concern- there was no website on the brochure, and an attempt at google searching turned up dry- we had no way of checking into the reputation of the ‘Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary.’ That meant no verification of the ‘conservation’ and ‘preserve’ status of the facility. We worried a bit, but resolved ourselves to withhold judgement…

Two days later we were in an 8-passenger van with a few other travelers heading out of town. We drove for what felt like hours, stopping once at a market for a bathroom break. More twists and turns on narrow roads going farther into the middle of nowhere, until the driver abruptly pulled over and stopped. Had we arrived? Where were we? One of the guides hopped out and motioned to my husband and me, and one other passenger to follow. Strangely, the van pulled away and continued down the road with three other passengers inside. I was confused and slightly suspicious as we made our way single file down an unmarked trail that was barely there as it descended into a valley. Soon enough the wooded hillside gave way to a splendid view: a stream, a flat expanse of land, a couple of thatched huts, and a trio of elephants. It was an amazing sight to behold… the magnificent elephant! We were instantaneously engrossed in our adventure, and all thoughts as to where the other tourists might be going, and why they weren’t with us got pushed to the backs of our minds (for the moment.)

The elephants were beautiful. There were two older females and a male “toddler.” Such kind eyes. And the little guy was so playful and mischievous! It was pretty close to how I had imagined it would be. But something was slightly off. My husband noticed it first. Down on the other end of the valley, almost out of sight, he spotted more elephants- saddled, with riders on top. It was too far away to see if they were the other passengers from the van, but the questions churned. We started grilling the mahout about the three elephants with us at the sanctuary. We asked about how they got certain scars and wounds (there was the presence of purple antibiotic on all sores, so we could tell they were being tended to); inquired about their ages, and origins. It turned out that the baby was not born at the sanctuary (births on premises can often be signifiers of healthy and happy elephants), but instead purchased/rescued (?) from Burma. Although we weren’t totally satisfied that we knew the whole story, the answers given were straight forward, seemed honest, and the mahout that were there guiding us and hanging out appeared kind- no use of bull hooks, no obvious signs of abuse, no rough language or handling- everyone was gentle during our visit. These observations, combined with the fact that the baby was highly spirited, led me to believe that they weren’t in the habit of ‘breaking’ their animals.

We took it all in, and decided to enjoy the hours ahead of us in the presence of the elephants, learning as much as we could. Time flies when you are captivated by your surroundings, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. A huge bowl of massaman curry, fresh pineapple and steamed rice were waiting for us back at the hut- it was enough food for a small army! Everything was amazingly tasty, and the setting made it even better. There is something very special about a good curry on a bamboo table, under a thatched roof, watching elephants romp and roam nearby. A truly amazing experience.

Bellies full, our guide motioned for us- we followed with the elephants, winding our way toward a small river and a series of small pools. We shed our shoes and grabbed a bucket, cautiously wading into the water alongside the friendly giants. We did our best to rinse away the dirt and cool everyone down while simultaneously avoiding being rolled over by the rambunctious two year old (who, at one point decided to fling a pile of clothes he found on the ground. Luckily, he missed the water!) All clean, we headed into a dusty clearing where, with a few tosses of the trunk, our friends were once again covered with dirt, and sufficiently protected from the sun. After spending quite a while laughing at the little clown wrestle and play with a vine (he totally had an impish glint in his eye the entire time) we crossed the river and headed up into the woods at the edge of the valley. The path through was rather narrow, and we wondered if the elephants would be capable of maneuvering their way back to the huts with so little foot space. We needn’t have worried- for their impressive size, elephants are amazingly sure-footed and graceful. They made their way up the trail and between the trees with ease and without hesitation.

Back at the hut it was time for goodbyes, and the handing out of a few late afternoon bananas. Snack time suddenly evolved into play time when mister baby elephant decided that the other traveler with us must have more bananas hidden somewhere, and he was determined to find them. It was obvious that a game of finding the bananas was in order. He chased her around the table in a hilarious cat and mouse routine, almost knocking over the building. We laughed our way up and out of the valley, and back to the road’s edge where it all began. Within a few minutes the van with the other tourists inside arrived to pick us up.

Later that evening my husband and I reflected upon our experience and tried to piece together the details of the ‘Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary.’ We came to the conclusion that where we spent our day seemed to be half of a larger operation. One half offering saddled elephant rides- while the other half operated as a sanctuary. Our guess was that the elephants were possibly rotated from one side to the other. I felt bad that in a remote way, we were still kind of involved with the elephant riding. The other part of me felt hopeful that our money was going toward helping an existing business transition from the old way of operating to something much better for the elephants. I don’t want to imply in any way that this post endorses a dual-use business model when elephant welfare is at stake, but I do know that for places like the one we visited, change takes time. And money.

It was truly magical to have the opportunity to spend time in such close proximity with such an amazing creature- I feel so lucky. That day has stuck with me in many ways, and I am still filled with questions.

Did we compromise our integrity by visiting a lesser known center?

Should we only support the big, highly visible companies? Shouldn’t the smaller centers with less presence in the ‘social media’ forum who are attempting to change and transition also be given thought and support? How can we sort out the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’? How can we help the businesses that are trying to change get recognition if they don’t have a PR infrastructure?

Were we being the mindful tourists we set out to be?

How to get there: contact the preserve directly to schedule your pickup.

I thought I would also include links to Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary and the Save Elephant Foundation (Elephant Nature Park is one of their projects). Both of these companies are doing wonderful things, and are considered the two most reputable sanctuaries in the area.

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