elephant nature park

the elephant nature park is a sanctuary that takes in elephants that have been abused or injured.  thailand thrives on tourism and the elephants are a key player, helping make money with elephant rides and food to feed them.  there isn't such a big problem in that itself, the real problem comes when the elephants aren't taken care of properly and are put in environments where its unsafe for them.  elephants aren't meant to live in the city, and their life span is shortened considerably when they are brought to live in the city, where there are such bright lights and loud noises.  at the elephant nature park there are 34 elephants that have been taken in from abusive situations and now live peaceful lives, doing nothing but eating, playing, and sleeping all day.  during our holiday in chaing mai, we spent two wonderful days and one night at the sanctuary learning all about the elephants.  after being there about 20 minutes i realized that my new life goal is to become the first american woman mahout!  a mahout is the elephants keeper/trainer, they develop an inseparable bond and are always within a couple of meters of each other.  dont be surprised if i don't come home because ive decided to live here with the elephants!

getting a big kiss

Nicki modeling an elephant molar

 

 breakfast time!

an elephant and its mahout

hello.

yes, that is a whole bunch of bananas that she's eating at once

this one stepped on a landmine in burma, 

the foot needs daily medical attention and can't support much weight

lunch time!

there are also tons of dogs at the park who get dropped off by 

people from the surrounding villages who know they'll be taken care of here

bath time!

washing the elephants...

it was hard work!

where we stayed for the night

hanging out with the elephants

playing in the small mud bath

the woman in the purple shirt is Lek, she is the person who started 

the Elephant Nature Park.  she is the epitome of a badass.

view for the night out our back porch

we also tubed down this river after our 'work' was done

the elephants eat one of these huge baskets three times a day, 

packed full with an assortment of 

watermelon, corn, pumpkin, and bananas

just taking a little nap on the corn

this elephant's hips and leg were broken when she was forced into

a breeding program; she walks very slow and with a severe limp.

one of the babies off to cause trouble

water cows

woke up to see this one across the river