The sad truth behind that awesome animal experience on your trip.
Elephants are such amazing creatures, I have always had a soft spot for them and the one week at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand was enough for me to cement that spot for life. I didn’t really expect much going into this trip, just that it would be a wonderful opportunity and a great get away from the stressors of everyday life. I have come back a changed person. The stories of these elephants are inspiring and heart-warming. The people who care for them are endearing in their efforts. Yet it is the very same species of humans that have put these animals in such sad states until they were rescued. I did not know much about the ‘phaajan’ ritual that all working elephants in Thailand undergo. I am pretty sure it is the same for working elephants around the world, names might be different.
I knew their spirits were broken to make them submissive but how was a heart breaking discovery I wish I had made earlier. The entire ritual involves putting the elephant in a cramped ‘cage’ like structure where they can barely move and being beaten brutally for days and nights. Imagine the plight of that young elephant who does not understand what is happening, surrounded by people stabbing them with sharp objects in sensitive areas like their ears. By the end of it they give up, purely out of pain and misery as they come out of that cage with a lot of physical scars but I think the mental ones are harder to heal.
Sangduen Lek Chailert has become a voice for these elephants who are suffering to lead a decent life. She has started this wonderful sanctuary for elephants rescued from street begging, logging and circuses. Most of them have severe injuries from landmines, being force mated, overworked, many of them are partially or completely blind, but most of them have broken hearts. Lek has nursed all of them back to health, more importantly she has shown them that they can trust humans again. That not all of us are so evil to inflict such unthinkable pain on an animal that cannot defend itself. That some of us can be trusted to give them the basic respect they deserve as living beings. She has an amazing support group of dedicated staff, mahouts and likeminded people who work tirelessly to make the lives of these elephants worthwhile. It is amazing to see these once tortured souls roam free in the vast expanse just being elephants for once. They will continue to live peaceful happy lives until they are under the care of the Elephant Nature Park.
Elephants have feelings, strong feelings of jealousy when the baby is with another nanny, feelings of joy when they are splashing around in the river, feelings of possessiveness when Lek is around and one of the elephants wants her to just stay under her and not go to anyone else, feelings of hurt when her mahout has gone back to see his family and she thinks he’s gone for good and sulks and throws a tantrum. They harbour friendships, allowing new entrants to the park to join their family herds and even take care of their young ones. Some like the company of their mahouts alone and nobody else, human or elephant. The babies love the attention of their nannies and love being fussed over. The nannies reprimand the babies if they go overboard. They are animals with such a wide spectrum of feelings, how can they not feel pain or understand what is going on or be hurt or upset, they feel all of it and we do not have the right to put any animal through something as inhumane as this for our own benefits. The problem arises from us.
When logging was banned in Thailand in 1989, most elephants had no jobs. Some continued working illegally with little laws being enforced. Some were forced into street begging. How disastrous for an animal as majestic as an elephant to be walking around the streets begging for some money with mahouts. More than that, imagine the chaos of a bustling city, the hard roads, the lights, the noise, the pollution, the late working hours, these elephants definitely deserve better. I am happy to say I did not run into one street begging elephant in Chiang Mai and neither did friends who were in Bangkok. A lot of mahouts resort to tourism to make a living. This means giving tourists rides. Hooks are used constantly to get them to listen to their commands. Long working hours again, a lot of them are worked even when they are old and fragile. Now some trekking camps have been inspired by Lek’s efforts and have joined forces to start a walk with the elephant theme instead of riding them. These are all small but very significant efforts towards a brighter future for these beautiful animals. Yet there are still a lot more companies out there offering rides. Watch an elephant from far, they are amazing creatures that have such complex social interactions that riding them seems like such a silly thing to do to get to know them.
These animals and all other animals deserve an equal right to a fair life and not be exploited for our needs. So be aware of all that goes on behind these camps and make the right decision. If there is no demand, there won’t be a supply. Another thing that really annoys me is that the tigers in all the temples who pose for pictures with tourists are constantly drugged and sedated. There is so much torture behind the scenes, these big cats are confined in small spaces for most of the day and are beaten and pushed and pulled sometimes to give the perfect pose for a visitor. They are not domestic cats. It is cooler to take a picture of a tiger in the wild free and independent than one that is tied down by chains and looks groggy. So please, the next time you’re on holiday and want to do such things, take a step back and think for a second, for one minute of glory for yourself, these animals go through a lifetime of torture. It’s not worth it. Be a responsible tourist. “Humanity's true moral test, its fundamental test…consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.” ― Milan Kundera
I knew their spirits were broken to make them submissive but how was a heart breaking discovery I wish I had made earlier. The entire ritual involves putting the elephant in a cramped ‘cage’ like structure where they can barely move and being beaten brutally for days and nights. Imagine the plight of that young elephant who does not understand what is happening, surrounded by people stabbing them with sharp objects in sensitive areas like their ears. By the end of it they give up, purely out of pain and misery as they come out of that cage with a lot of physical scars but I think the mental ones are harder to heal.
Sangduen Lek Chailert has become a voice for these elephants who are suffering to lead a decent life. She has started this wonderful sanctuary for elephants rescued from street begging, logging and circuses. Most of them have severe injuries from landmines, being force mated, overworked, many of them are partially or completely blind, but most of them have broken hearts. Lek has nursed all of them back to health, more importantly she has shown them that they can trust humans again. That not all of us are so evil to inflict such unthinkable pain on an animal that cannot defend itself. That some of us can be trusted to give them the basic respect they deserve as living beings. She has an amazing support group of dedicated staff, mahouts and likeminded people who work tirelessly to make the lives of these elephants worthwhile. It is amazing to see these once tortured souls roam free in the vast expanse just being elephants for once. They will continue to live peaceful happy lives until they are under the care of the Elephant Nature Park.
Elephants have feelings, strong feelings of jealousy when the baby is with another nanny, feelings of joy when they are splashing around in the river, feelings of possessiveness when Lek is around and one of the elephants wants her to just stay under her and not go to anyone else, feelings of hurt when her mahout has gone back to see his family and she thinks he’s gone for good and sulks and throws a tantrum. They harbour friendships, allowing new entrants to the park to join their family herds and even take care of their young ones. Some like the company of their mahouts alone and nobody else, human or elephant. The babies love the attention of their nannies and love being fussed over. The nannies reprimand the babies if they go overboard. They are animals with such a wide spectrum of feelings, how can they not feel pain or understand what is going on or be hurt or upset, they feel all of it and we do not have the right to put any animal through something as inhumane as this for our own benefits. The problem arises from us.
When logging was banned in Thailand in 1989, most elephants had no jobs. Some continued working illegally with little laws being enforced. Some were forced into street begging. How disastrous for an animal as majestic as an elephant to be walking around the streets begging for some money with mahouts. More than that, imagine the chaos of a bustling city, the hard roads, the lights, the noise, the pollution, the late working hours, these elephants definitely deserve better. I am happy to say I did not run into one street begging elephant in Chiang Mai and neither did friends who were in Bangkok. A lot of mahouts resort to tourism to make a living. This means giving tourists rides. Hooks are used constantly to get them to listen to their commands. Long working hours again, a lot of them are worked even when they are old and fragile. Now some trekking camps have been inspired by Lek’s efforts and have joined forces to start a walk with the elephant theme instead of riding them. These are all small but very significant efforts towards a brighter future for these beautiful animals. Yet there are still a lot more companies out there offering rides. Watch an elephant from far, they are amazing creatures that have such complex social interactions that riding them seems like such a silly thing to do to get to know them.
These animals and all other animals deserve an equal right to a fair life and not be exploited for our needs. So be aware of all that goes on behind these camps and make the right decision. If there is no demand, there won’t be a supply. Another thing that really annoys me is that the tigers in all the temples who pose for pictures with tourists are constantly drugged and sedated. There is so much torture behind the scenes, these big cats are confined in small spaces for most of the day and are beaten and pushed and pulled sometimes to give the perfect pose for a visitor. They are not domestic cats. It is cooler to take a picture of a tiger in the wild free and independent than one that is tied down by chains and looks groggy. So please, the next time you’re on holiday and want to do such things, take a step back and think for a second, for one minute of glory for yourself, these animals go through a lifetime of torture. It’s not worth it. Be a responsible tourist. “Humanity's true moral test, its fundamental test…consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.” ― Milan Kundera
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