Web log Antoinette – December 2007

In this month’s web log among other things: the free life of Faa Sai, the mahout homestay project, the takeoff of Trees for Elephants, and Christmas at the Elephant Nature Park.

Sawadee Pi Mai!

From the Elephant Nature Park, where Faa Sai and her new family are playing in the river, I want to wish you an elephantastic 2008. Off course we will keep fighting for a better future for the Thai elephants in 2008. 2007 has been a fantastic year for Bring the Elephant home, with two main events: winning the World of Difference Award and, off course, buying free and bringing home Faa Sai. When I see the change in this young elephant in such a short time, I just want to keep going with Bring the Elephant Home. I hope we will be able to give many elephants a free future.

We already have many plans ready to be executed in 2008. Our main goal: planting 100,000 trees for the Thai elephants. To be able to make a comprehensive report about all the tree planting programmes, we have created a new website (for the time being dutch only): www.treesforelephants.nl. It is possible today, so start this year well: buy 10 trees for 10 euros!

The first donations for Trees for Elephants
Right after sending our newsletter about the new website the first donations for Trees for Elephants are coming in. The supporters respond with enthusiasm to the project. This gives us even more energy to get going. Too bad it will be a while before the wet season begins! By the way, these are the first donations from supporters. The foundation De Kootje Fundatiën let us know earlier this December they will provide financial support to start an elephant village in the Isaan. Here we hope to plant and maintain about 35,000 trees for the street elephants.

Chang tour
Early December I join an elephant tour through Thailand, which I had organised myself: the Chang tour. I had never been on an organised trip before, and certainly not on one I had thought up myself. After the all the fuss in November, with camera crews and buying free an elephant, I really want to enjoy the trip as a participant. That doesn’t entirely work out; off course I have to stick my nose in everything. I incorporated a mahout homestay in the programme. An experiment, since this doesn’t exist yet. When we are in the city of Surin I call the mahout family: eight of us will be there tomorrow. Will you take care of plenty of mattresses and other things? Certainly, the welcoming answer, you’re always welcome. One of the Chang-travellers asks me pleasantly surprised if she is correct in believing that this part has not been prepared. No, this part of the trip is quite spontaneous, I answer.

Welcoming ceremony for Thong Tae
The mahout homestay (according to the travellers a unique experience) coincides with a welcoming ceremony for a new elephant. At the house of the owner is a spirit house for Phrakam, an elephant shaman. In the house a sacred rope made of buffalo skin is kept. This is the rope the villagers used to use to catch wild elephants in the jungle. Offerings have to be made for new elephants: Phrakam gets a pigs head with candles in its nose, a bottle of whiskey, two bottles of Red Bull, and some fruit. Then the elephant gets to pick his own name. Three piles of food are set up: banana trees, bananas, sugar canes. On each pile is a piece of paper with a name. The elephant stares doubtfully at all the food for a while. When she picks up a banana leaf, her future is settled. Thong Tae it will be: Gold in superlatives. The name is chalked on her body. With a white piece of string she is connected to all the family members. This ceremony has welcomed her into the family. The family promises to take good care of her. They already apologize for everything they might do wrong. The family actually treats her as a family member, but after a bit of rest training will begin. And then she will probably earn a living by begging.

White elephants
The ceremony goes on all day, but we have a busy schedule ahead. On to the jungle in Khao Yai! In Ayuthaya we are lucky again: that night the historical festival of Ayuthaya takes place. A huge show between the temples depicts the history of Ayuthaya. Elephants play a big part in this, since they saved Ayuthaya from being conquered by Burma. In the afternoon we check out the ‘Royal Elephant Kraal’ where preparations for the show are made. In the distance we see a white elephant with beautiful tusks. Wow! But when we come closer, the elephant turns out to be painted white… For the show as well, because the king only had white elephants.

At sunset we walk between the temples toward the show. A huge spectacle, with lights, sounds, fire works, and many ‘fighting’ elephants. There is a bull in musth in it. This is clear from the black moisture coming from the glands next to his eyes. Musth is the period in which the elephant wants to mate. Bulls become very aggressive. Tamed elephants are separated, cannot work, and only the mahout can carefully approach them. This elephant is part of the show, and later on in the crowd! No idea how they manage to keep this elephant this calm. But it still seems very dangerous.

During this elephant trip I want to show as much of the situation of the Thai elephants as possible. Since the elephant is so often cornered, these are often less pleasant experiences. But two days later we visit Elephants & Friends, where the participants join the elephants in the river. In tree weeks we have seen so many different situations in which the elephants live, so many experiences. One of the participants asks me during the trip: what do you think of this kind of Chang tour? Kind of fun, a Chang tour like this, I answer. Yes, kind of fun, the rest of the group laughs. We conclude: we’ll do Chang tours again.

The rest of December is all about writing requests for grants, drawing up budgets, drawing up the balance for 2007, doing some networking, working out plans, and many more things. Finally some more time in Chiang Mai, so I can discover some new places. Like a temple where they serve wonderful vegetarian dishes.

Christmas at the Elephant Nature Park
Christmas I want to spend with my Thai family, at the Elephant Nature Park. I spend all of Christmas Day preparing: decorating a banana tree as a Christmas tree, wrapping presents for the mahouts, buying food and drinks, putting up balloons. The mahouts play music and sing Christmas songs. Most of them are Karen. A hill tribe from Burma, who are Christians through the influence of the British. After the Christmas diner a real Santa comes to pass out presents. Sometimes the mahouts are just like children, so happy and elated. After this we continue the party on the beach at the Park, with a giant campfire.

Faa Sai, the elephant bought free in November, feels completely at home at the Elephant Nature Park. Douk Ngern (who was bought free two years ago by Bring the Elephant Home) is often in charge of the herd of youngsters. During bath time she sometimes runs at off, followed by four trumpeting baby elephants. Faa Sai behaves as if she has been part of the group for years. It is wonderful to see how much fun she has. And I’m proud to see Douk Ngern has overcome all her fears, that she holds a good position at the Park. Most of the volunteers think she is the most special of all the elephants. I feel truly proud, as if she is my child. She is just so cute!

In January we will visit all the possible locations for planting trees, and finalise all our plans. Now that preparations are over, I really want to get to work. Until next month.

Bye from Thailand
Antoinette