Elephant Nature Park

Today we went to the Elephant Nature Park which is about 64km out of Chang Mai. Unlike all the other elephant operations, including the Elephant Conservation Centre, this place is an actual sanctuary for orphaned and abused elephants. It's not set up as a tourist attraction, but allows up to six outsiders to visit each day to see the work they are doing. During our visit there we worked alongside the centre's volunteers, going through the daily routine with the elephants.
Approaching the 100 acre nature park is like driving to the valley of the dinosaurs. There's a flowing winding river running through the property, lush tropical fields, and of course free roaming elephants. It's hard to describe the scene - you really have to experience it with your own eyes. On the way there we stopped off at the market and loaded the trucks with fresh fruit and veggies. Elephants eat about 300kg each a day!
Once we arrived on the property we were briefed about the elephants and the safety procedures and then it was on to feed these beautiful giants. We got to hand feed most of the 28 elephants which was so cool. After feeding time we broke for lunch which was a massive thai feast. We then walked them down to the river to give them their morning bath. Their muhuts (personal trainers, of which each animal has it's own) get them to lie on their side in the river while you throw buckets of water over them and srub them down with brushes. I don't know who liked it more - us or them. So much fun!

3 month old baby and its aunties

"Yeah it's a hard life here!"

"C'mon mate, I'll have ya!"

"So, thought you could keep me clean hey?"

"Don't move! With this grass on my head we should be camouflaged for sure!"

After their bath we returned to the main communal sitting area, where the elephants always come up to you and stretch out their trunks. Here we learned about the history of each of the elephants at the camp - and the details of how elephants in Thailand are generally treated. All "working" elephants used for tourist trekking, logging and street begging, go through an horiffic breaking in process that can be anywhere from 3 days to a couple of weeks. During this process the baby elephants are locked into a bamboo cage that stops them from moving. They are then prodded with bamboo sticks which have nails at the end and are beaten until they bleed and their will is broken. This is done so they submit to their owners and do whatever they are told to do. It is not uncommon for some elephants to die from this horrible experience.

At the Elephant Nature Park there are 28 elephants Lek (a Thai woman) has rescued since 1992. Except for the three-month-old elephant (so cute), the rest have been used by tour operators in the past and have many scars to prove it. One is missing a foot, another is completely blind from where her owner shot arrows and used slingshots to try to get her to work when she did not want to. The stories go on.
All in all our visit to the park was probably the most rewarding experience of our trip so far. It was fantastic to see a group of people trying so hard to ensure elephants can have a better life. It also made us cancel any plans to do an elephant trek through the jungle, as we previously thought we might do. Going to the centre makes you realise what the animals are put through behind the scenes for the sake of the tourist dollar - definitely not worth supporting.