Rescuing the Elephants in Thailand

1. How did the adventurous spirit call to you and urge you to visit Thailand?

Thailand is truly a wonderful country that fits my adventurous spirit perfectly. For me, there are major differences in religion – Buddhism, especially the one in Thailand, is greatly influenced by a belief in spirits and superstition also has a great influence – before the locals decide to make a big step, such as a move or a wedding, they first consult a monk. Then there’s day-to-day issues, such as water that’s unsafe to drink, beer that’s much more expensive there, while food and accommodation are much cheaper, there are lots of stray dogs everywhere and the government doesn’t care about them, but the locals and foreigners do and they take care for them... One thing that touched me the most in the village and elsewhere in Thailand was that the locals don’t express affection through touch because they’re much more conservative, though Thailand’s one of the rare countries that almost manages to achieve gender equality when it comes to household chores. From a traditional standpoint, women help out with men’s chores and men help out with women’s chores. They express affection through the time they spend together, which I find to be the most beautiful gift one can give to another person. Members of the Karen tribe, which is more or less composed of the people living in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar who settled in the mountainous region of northern Thailand several decades ago, warmly welcomed us. But we had a mutual assistance going on between us – they offered us accommodation in their wooden cottages and three meals a day, while we served as consumers in their small restaurants and shops. They taught us their very own language called Pakinya, which has no formal record, and we taught them English. Communication was difficult at times, but we managed to come to an understanding with the help of smiles, kindness and positive energy.

2. Where did you get the courage for such an adventure?

I always felt I was missing something here in Slovenia. I think our country is truly gorgeous, but the collective consciousness, energy and vibes just didn’t convince me. I wanted to broaden my horizons, so I “fled” abroad a couple of times a month, and, last year, I even seriously considered leaving my home country for an extended period. The untimely death of my mom, the purest and kindest soul there ever was, reminded me that one should make the most of the present time, and I interpreted losing my job as the universe’s way of telling me that postponing my dreams wasn’t an option anymore. I remember watching a programme about elephants two years before my departure, wishing I, too, could somehow help these majestic animals. I wanted to work with elephants, so I googled “working with elephants abroad”. The third search result was about helping elephants through an organisation called Global Vision International. I read the description and felt deep inside that this was, at the time, the right path for me. I immediately booked the six-month programme because I didn’t want my mind to prevent me from leaving by conjuring up stories of all the things that could go wrong. Volunteering ranges from fourteen days to six months, but I recommend at least a month because life moves pretty fast there and experience is incredibly valuable.

3. What was a day at the sanctuary like?

Our daily routine looked like this: we walked with the elephants at sunrise and monitored their adaptation to the natural environment. Afternoons were full of various activities, from searching for and observing snakes, birds and monkeys, playing with children, playing ball games and watching films to making our national dishes; we livened up the evenings by watching the completely black and clear sky, dotted with countless stars, lit a fire and, with a beer in hand, told each other the most wonderful stories, since there were volunteers gathered there from all over the world. Every second weekend, we drove to Chiang Mai or Pai in northern Thailand where we went partying at full throttle, ate western food and danced our feet off.

We helped the locals harvest rice and coffee beans, and I really liked the fact that we would work for two hours and then take a long lunch break while chit-chatting over a shot of rice whiskey. This would then be followed by another hour or so of work and then by another lunch break... So, it took us a couple of days to finish, but those days were fully relaxed, fun and productive at the same time. This is where I see the difference between Thailand and Slovenia because Slovenes tend to forget to enjoy while working.

There were always around thirty volunteers that would come and go; some came for two weeks, some for a couple of months, and some even for half a year. I took part in the programme as a trainee, not just as a volunteer, which meant more learning and various presentations, plus a follow-up of a project in collaboration with the villagers or animals. It could be any kind of project the participant thought could contribute something. I decided to examine in more detail the co-operation between families and elephants and their keepers (mahouts), and then show the organisers of the programme what’s so wonderful about the programme and what could be improved.

4. What was it like when you stood so close to one of the largest animals on Earth? Are these giants peaceful and gentle?

Oh, elephants are such giant and yet such gentle creatures. They can harm a human simply by playing, which can be dangerous with such an enormous animal – the baby elephant Lah Lah was a small rascal but, with her 400 kilos, she was too heavy to play with us without someone getting harmed. Elephants can also become dangerous if they react out of fear. Other than that, they’re very emotional beings and they’re very attached to their elephant family members. They can even get very attached to the locals and their keepers, and the locals return their love. I should like to mention Kha Moon’s funeral. She was a female elephant and her funeral really touched me. I remember us being warned, when we were already on our way to the funeral, that the body might not be buried yet, but we thought we could handle it. But when we saw the majestic body lying still, tears started running down our cheeks that couldn’t be stopped. It was really a moment I’ll never forget. All the men in the village got together to dig up a huge hole for the burial. Before they buried the elephant, they put plants and corn in her trunk because elephants love that, and they poured whiskey over her, so she could enjoy abundance in the afterlife. I found it interesting that the Karen tribe doesn’t let the women attend the funeral because they think their hearts just aren’t strong enough and the men don’t want their women to cry. I thought that was very cute.

5. Are the elephants protected? Do poachers and traffickers cause a lot of trouble? What was your experience?

Sadly, Thailand isn’t really successful in protecting the elephants and they’re threatened by extinction; hunting the elephants for the ivory which is then trafficked, shrinking the forests to give way to agriculture and poorly-managed politics all threaten their well-being. There are only around four thousand elephants living in Thailand, and only a small number of those live in the wild. The rest are either domesticated, live in parks or suffer under inhumane conditions in tourist camps. Riding the elephants in these camps, overfeeding and washing done by tourists, buying paintings made by the elephants using their trunks, or taking photos with them (the elephants were taught to pose for the camera), all this is a sad page in this story. One has to realise that these elephants are beaten from 24 to 48 hours in order to break their spirit, their gentleness and their kindness, replacing them with fear, so they can be subdued and learn easier. I highly recommend everyone who wants to see these gentle giants to do some research beforehand into how elephants are treated at these camps and temples, where they come from, and the conditions they live in. I also suggest buying imitation ivory products instead of the real thing. This way you can still support tourism, but in a way that’s elephant-friendly.

We let the elephants in the village roam free during the day, eating plants, and fastened them to long chains at night, so they wouldn’t get hurt on the roads or damage the crops. Joining forces with the locals, we made sure nine elephants enjoyed a more wonderful and free life.

I can’t say this is still a trip because I’m actually living in Thailand right now and, despite the fact that experiences are incomparable since each one is not only welcome but necessary for development, I can now say that the current travel has taught more lessons than ever before. That’s because I let myself to really start living and realised that my understanding of everything slowly began to change. Everything’s the same, but the way I look at things is different. Maybe people will judge me for saying this but, for me, Covid-19 was a gift because it was the main reason why I decided to stay in Thailand and figure out who I am and what I want from life and relationships; it taught me that everything is ephemeral, but can be darn good at the same time, if only you’re present in the moment which you basically create yourself.

I was really touched by Nina’s story about rescuing elephants. It’s hard leaving behind the life you’re so familiar with and set out into the unknown. As for the well-being of animals and endangered species, I truly wish more could be done about it and that elephants don’t soon end up on the list if extinct animals. Who knows, maybe I can muster up enough courage and travel to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.