A green oasis, curry paste, jungle herbs
Because of the floods elephant haven wasn’t accessible for a while. Also because of the water it has now turned into a beautiful green oasis. The elephants just seem to disappear in it. Together with the mahouts we go looking for herbs in the jungle, medication for the elephants. We also rap orange ribbons around the trees. This is an effective way to preserve the last of the forest in Thailand from the woodchoppers. At night time I help Pom do the cooking. The mahouts have a good laugh as I try to make a currypasta. Apparently a Thai mother judges her daughter-to-be by the way she makes currypasta. I definitely wouldn’t get approval that quickly then! That night I sleep outside next to the fire.
Under a sky of stars with the sound of a bell from an elephant in the distance. The elephants will probably stay awake all night, feeding on the healthy food in the forest. In the morning Pom cleans up the wound on Boon Khun’s head. His tusk has been cut of too short by hunters and his whole head has now been infected. Now, 5 years after they cut it of, the hole where the tusk is supposed to be still fills daily with puss. With the herbs that we collected in the jungle the mahouts have made a mix. With a sort of watergun Pom squirts it in the hole to stop the infection. It will probably never totally heal. We can’t go back too late though because there are two journalists from a tv-station coming to the park.
