The Travelling Fairy DancerCaptivating Elephants
May 1st 2008 10:10
Mickey the elephant farted and stopped on a dangerously steep slope. The chair, comprised of wooden slats, that held us on the giant's back lurched forward and only her wide neck stopped us descending to our death down the rocky cliff.
The number of elephants in Thailand has dropped dramatically in the last 100 years. Once a valued resource, elephants were used to carry logs through the forest and were therefore captured from the wild or bred in captivity to help build the nation.
When timbering was outlawed, thousands of domesticated elephants were left uncared for and unable to live without humans. The tourist industry has, somewhat, provided a haven for many.
We ran a gauntlet of emotions during the elephant ride, between wild excitement over being so close to the majestic creature and fury at ourselves for making her literally carry the burden of tourists.
Lovingly feeding her bananas at the end of our trip, she didn't appear unhappy as she made small squeaking sounds and let us stroke her trunk. We stared sadly at the state of the ramshackle shed she was housed in, until her mahout (driver) came out with a hose and excitedly announced bath time.
As he bathed his animal, his smile was wide and his tone of voice soft, which, in Mickey's small world, must count for something.
The number of elephants in Thailand has dropped dramatically in the last 100 years. Once a valued resource, elephants were used to carry logs through the forest and were therefore captured from the wild or bred in captivity to help build the nation.
When timbering was outlawed, thousands of domesticated elephants were left uncared for and unable to live without humans. The tourist industry has, somewhat, provided a haven for many.
We ran a gauntlet of emotions during the elephant ride, between wild excitement over being so close to the majestic creature and fury at ourselves for making her literally carry the burden of tourists.
Lovingly feeding her bananas at the end of our trip, she didn't appear unhappy as she made small squeaking sounds and let us stroke her trunk. We stared sadly at the state of the ramshackle shed she was housed in, until her mahout (driver) came out with a hose and excitedly announced bath time.
As he bathed his animal, his smile was wide and his tone of voice soft, which, in Mickey's small world, must count for something.
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