Elephants have a very important history in Thailand. They used to be work horses for the logging industry in the North, but once the logging was banned, the use of elephants for moving the logs around ground to a halt. After that the fortunes of the elephants were mixed. Some were well cared for, some wild elephants remained wild, and some were abandoned by their caretakers.
The uplifting part of the tale comes in the development of places like the TECC- Thai Elephant Conservation Center. They are a fantastic place that was originally built in honor of the princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 1991 to commemorate her 36th birthday. The Royal Family has been very important to many aspects of cultural and agricultural preservation and education. The TECC does a fantastic job of caring for healthy elephants, rehabilitating sick or injured elephants, educating tourists, promoting eco-tourism, and in general saving elephatns from extinction. His Majesty The King of Thailand's Royal elephants are housed here- although no one is allowed to visit them. They are special elephants because they are more 'white' than the typical gray like most Asian elephants. Of course they aren't completely white, but lighter than most elephants. There are many elephant camps all over Thailand, but the TECC is the only one that has a hospital for elephants. Any camp has a sick elephant or is in need of assistance with the conception of, or birth of elephants can seek assistance from the TECC or can bring their elephants to the center free of charge. These efforts are funded by eco-tourism and in part by the cultural preservation efforts of the Royalty. It is truly heart warming to know that these incredible creatures can be so well cared for.
It is heart breaking to see them wandering the streets begging for food with their mahouts who don't have adequate resources to care for their elephant. I used to see one in the market where I eat dinner every night in Rayong and had to look away. Supposedly you can notify the police of you see an elephant and mahout wandering the streets begging for handouts (or asking you to pay to give sugar cane to the elephants which they have already purchased for this exact purpose) but I'm not sure how well that issue is policed. Elephants are banned in cities- all should be at some sort of facility or zoo to be properly cared for. I haven't seen this elephant in months, so I'm hoping it's found it's way to a proper center.
Elephants have been economically, culturally and religiously important to Thailand. I won't bore you with all sorts of research and facts, because the TECC does an excellent job of laying out all the information. But from my perspective, it has been inspiring to see this type of reverence in practice by Thai people. Everybody loves and respects the elephant. This is especially noticeable in worship in temples, as the elephant appears as the icon Ganesh (In Thai Ganesh is "Pra Pickanet"). In Buddhism the elephant represents intelligence, power, stability, gracefulness, and by some it was believed that elephants supported the universe.
Biologically the elephant does have a small brain compared to its body size. However, due to the high number of curves and notches in its brain, it is widely accepted that elephants are highly capable of learning, are very intelligent, and that much of their brain is devoted to scent and memory. The Asian elephants like to live in groups, the babies do not stray far from their mothers, and the mothers usually rarely separate from their babies and are quite protective of them.
That's all I'll write about the elephants. Please give these sites a visit if you want to read more about the elephants. They are quite comprehensive and informative. Also if you are at all interested in spending time with elephants, the TECC is a great place to stay for one day or a few. You will be taken care of as a mahout, and you can rest assured that your money is well spent and goes to a good cause. You can get their contact info from either site and reserve a time to come on as a mahout.
http://www.thaielephanttraining.com/?page_id=96
http://www.changthai.com/
or just google Thai Elephant Conservation Center or TECC.
Now for some photos!
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| Me and my pal- Pang Tantawan "Sun Flower". Pang Tantawan is 50 years old. |
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| Mom and baby |
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| Baby elephant getting a cool down. Elephants love being wet. |
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| I mean, come on. Doesn't this just melt your heart? The elepants were recently painted for fun during the Songkran New Year's festival. It's non-toxic paint and the elephants weren't harmed. |
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| Artist in residence. Yes, there is an elephant show at the TECC where they paint, play instruments and show the old logging techniques. Some people don't like the idea of putting elephants on show like that, so it's a debated issue. But they're taken care of and not mistreated, and that's what I cared about. The paintings are sold for about 15 USD and go right back into the center to care for the elephants and for the hospital. |
Just thought I'd throw this in here- some elephant commands- The center gave use these little laminated papers with Thai phrases, elephant commands, and facts about our elephant and mahout's names.
Song Soong- Get on beside
Hub Soong- Get off beside
Pai- Go forward
How- Stop
Tack long- Get off and on in front (jump onto the elephant by vaulting yourself onto his neck!)
Map long- Lie down on their belly
Non long- Lie down on their side
Look- Stand up
Ben- Turn left or right
Soke- Walk backward
Bong- Drink water
Bong bone- Spray water
Geb bone- Pick something up
Ma phe- Comer here
Ya- Do not / no
Dee mak- Very good
And no...you do not use the same words for an elephant as you would in conversation with a Thai person. Except for the word 'pai' which means 'go' and you'll hear that word a lot.
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