Happy Elephant Sanctuary (Thailand, Day 3)
Our third and final full day in Chiang Mai we spent at the Happy Elephant Sanctuary. This is a sort of rescue center for elephants that have been mistreated or misused in the past. Unlike the other elephant programs in the area that advertise riding the elephants, this one emphasized us taking care of the animals. We got bananas, banana trees and sugar cane and fed it to them, and generally took care of them rather than them being there for our entertainment. The first thing the native volunteers did when we arrived was write our names on our hands in Thai so they could remember what to call us. First, they gave us special clothes to wear. These clothes have scents that the elephants are very used to and recognize so they don't have to take time introducing us as strangers and making sure the elephants will be okay with us. Next they gave us a bag full of bananas. We spent a good while meeting the elephants and feeding them the bananas to get to know them. They h...
Comments
Post a Comment