Looking for a begging elephant in Chiang Mai
In a restaurant somebody tells me that he has seen an elephant in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately he can’t explain exactly where it was: at the bottom of the stairs to the temple on the top of the mountain Doi Suthep. The next morning I get on my scooter and take a look. Halfway there the motor starts to overheat and splutter. I have no idea how far it is yet, so I drive back to a different temple. There I ask some people if they know of a temple on the mountain where there is an elephant.Yes they say, it is another 20 km higher up the mountain. Well I will never make that on the scooter. They decide to go too and would like it if I joined them. I would be stupid if I said no. We park just a bit away from the crowd and walk towards the stairs. I can already see the elephant in the distance.
Right next to the stairs there is a 13-year old bull chained to a block of cement. For 10 Baht you can give him 3 pieces of bamboo. A small group of Americans is standing in front of him cheering. As they walk away, one of them gives me a hint: ask the guy to let him do the harmonica, it’s awsum! No thanks, I reply! I take some pictures and have a good look at the elephant. He is shaking his head back and forth, stressed, and reacts aggressively towards the people standing in front of him. His foot where the chain is attached to, is in the air all the time so he has more room to move. The chain is only 30 cm long! His nails are broken and irritated from the cement block he has to stand on.
I see how quick his breathing is and the aggressive look in his eyes. It seems like he just wants to throw all the tourists back with his massive tusks. A Thai man starts pulling his trunk for show. This attracks more tourists which makes the elephant to become even more aggressive. I can see every muscle in his body tences . When the mahout waves his hook at the elephant he flinches for a second. The elephant knows all too well what that hook can do to him. The open wound on his forehead shows that the hook is used frequently.
The people who brought me here tell me that the elephant is fom Surin. He was brought here about three months ago because his owner couldn’t look after him anymore. At the temple he has food and a bit of money is coming in. So now the elephant stands here day and night chained to the cement block begging. In full sunlight, with no water, no other elephants, and no green leaves within reach for him to eat. I hate to think that Hope or Jungleboy could ever end up like this. I cant imagine that the young elephants from the park could ever have this life. I wonder if I should complain to the monks. If they say that he isn’t allowed to beg there anymore it would be over with. But where would he go then? There is a big chance that he would be taken into town at night-time. At least here he has food and hopefully a good nights sleep. I think that the whole of north Thailand should be Elephant Nature Park. I will be telling Lek about this elephant. Hopefully there will be enough money and room for this elephant as well in the park.
