About a week ago, I woke up at 6 am to put together the final entry on the elephantstay. Two hours later, I lost the whole post during a publishing glitch. So now you'll just have to make do with the photos and not the elaborate tales that went with them. Sorry!
The Kraal has eight babies at the moment - a pretty high number and a good indication of happy elephants as happy elephants breed. We were very lucky to have three newborns about six weeks old wondering around freely (since they don't stray far from their mums). Elephants communicate on a different frequency from humans, and it was funny to watch the babies scampering all over the shop, sticking their trunks wherever they could only to stop mid step to turn around and run back to mum, presumably because she had called her baby back. Mums are very protective.
It was also hilarious to watch the babies playing together. The bigger ones pushed the smaller ones around a lot but they seemed to delight in each other's company. We were very lucky to have the freedom to pat and play with them.
Baby elephants' trunks are soft and curious. It is quite a special feeling to have one wrapped around your arm sniffing about.
Baby elephants like to ram into you and don't mind if you push back.
They are also very clumsy.
Dok Mai's giant patouti. Look at that girth!
Elephants like to paint too. This particular friend was tagged to go to Melbourne Zoo last year in that controversial deal that went way over budget. In the end she was rejected by Australia because she knocked over five farang (no Thais). Michelle tells us it is because she was too intelligent to go. They try to send the less intelligent elephants to zoos as the smarter ones find it harder to deal with. Seeing her paint with her mahout, with whom she had a deep affinity, it is hard to imagine her anywhere else but in Thailand. She also has an endearing squeak when she is pleased with herself.
Clever girl!
Many mahouts train their elephants to perform various tricks. The elephants seem happy to learn and be stimulated. After work, the mahouts come back to the Kraal and have a training session where they re-enact battles and such.
The mahouts have a stretch.
Not a great photo, but this guy is throwing spears at a target whilst standing on the back of a running elephant.
Buddy the Aussie cattle dog, adopted from Melbourne's Lost Dogs home. He lives happily at the Kraal along with his Thai wife, Little Girl.
Elephant remains at a makeshift spirit house.
Elephant drive-thru. The elephant wears a sort of stick between its tusks and scoops up pineapple leaves for dinner on the way back from a shower. Elephants can also wear braces to straighten their tusks.
An awful photo of me, but I had to include it because the little baby burst in at the last minute to wrap its trunk around my leg. We took this photo five minutes before leaving, so it felt like a nice way to finish our stay. The other two are Ewa and Michelle, who run the program. You wouldn't believe it, but Damon says he saw tears in Michelle's eyes (on the left) when we said goodbye (of course I was crying at saying goodbye to dear Loong Sap). I hate goodbyes.
So I think that is all for elephants for now. I am sure you have all had enough of them by this stage. I will post some footage when I sort through it.
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