Thailand Jan 2009: Elephant Camp (2 of 2)
Visit www.changthai.com to learn more about the elephant camp.
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The elephants spend the night out in the nearby forest. First thing in the morning we walked out to retrieve them. After brushing off the elephants, we fed them a little sugar cane and got their chains organized for the walk back to camp. The elephants help to retrieve the chain. Here is Glenn's mahout with his elephant, Jo Jo. The day before we arrived Jo Jo broke his chain, made his way back to camp and ate some bananas. (Bad Jo Jo!) The hat is not part of the standard mahout costume, it was quite cold before the sun came up.
Riding the elephants through the forest back to camp as the sum came up was quite an experience.
After getting back to camp the first order of business was to bathe the elephants. Basically, the mahouts told them to walk into the pond, then to lie down. The mahouts are very nimble and scamper around on their backs, for the most part staying dry. Those of us who remained seated tended to get a bath along with the elephant.
After bathing it is breakfast time - back to the stables for the elephants and accomodation for us, before the morning training and show commenced.
After training and before the show commences, the elephants are allowed time to graze and interact with each other. Some are very friendly and vocal. Others just like to eat and drink.
Tana shows some good riding form on her elephant, Wannalee.
Glenn and Jo Jo make their way back to camp. Jo Jo is 18 years old and likes to flirt with many of the female elephants. As you can see he is also very tall, which made it challenging for Glenn to get on and off.
Here is our graduation photo. We learned so much about elephants and mahouts during our visit. Elephants are amazing animals. What a fantastic experience!