Welcome to your new home, Sri Prae

After several meetings and preparation time, we left Chiang Mai last week to pick up Sri Prae, and bring her to the Elephant Nature Park. Various reasons make this a tough job: We have to get teams from the ENP, BTEH and a team of mahouts from Surin together at same time on the elephant island. The paperwork will be difficult because they are registered to different people. It will be nearly impossible to get Sri Prae into the truck, and we have prepare the truck to make it strong enough. We also have to make sure the villagers understand the decision, and agree. We had two days in the village to take care of everything. The final village meeting went well: a brief evaluation, pitching ideas on how the project could continue in the future, and what Sri Praes life in Chiang Mai will be like. The villagers ask for pictures of Sri Prae after her arrival, and whether they can visit Sri Prae. Of course we take care of this.

Click <more> for the photo report of moving Sri Prae.

When we finally have the people involved in the paperwork in one room, the transportation papers are quickly ready. But at transferring the ownership papers, we found out that the official documents are still in Surin. This will take at least 4 hours, while we were supposed to leave at that time. After consulting with Lek from the ENP, we decide to draw up a subcontract. Now everything has been legally arranged, and we can pick up the official documents in Surin at a later date.

After lunch the truck and the team of mahouts arrive from Surin. While we prepare the truck, the villagers are preparing a farewell ceremony. In the truck we build a construction for Sri Prae to be supported and unable to turn around. At three o’clock the villagers bring fruit for Sri Prae. But when Sri Prae arrives near the truck, she decides not to cooperate. She takes off like a rocket, nearly runs into a house, drags a motorbike along with her chain, crosses the road, breaks a fence of another house, until the mahouts manage to calm her down. After two more attempts, we start to get seriously worried. It is a dreadful situation: Sri Prae scared, many worried people surrounding her, and mahouts who would preferably get her into the truck with force. Everybody tries to help in his own way: local whiskey is offered to the spirits, people promise to be vegetarian for a month, people scream, push, entice her with fruit, try to explain… Just when we are about to give up, she finally steps into the truck at 4.25 pm. The tailboard is closed immediately, the engine starts, and we begin our 18 hour journey. The farewell ceremony is canceled, but, fortunately, we are on the way! There is no enjoying the moment: Sri Prae practically destroys the truck. The wooden construction quickly ends up in pieces on the floor, and Sri Prae tries to get out. We call some experts if we can use something to calm her down, but this is too risky. In the end we need to put a chain on her hind leg, making it impossible for her to turn around. Finally, Sri Prae gets tired and calms down. Phew, sixteen more hours to go.

In the morning, when we near the ENP, Sri Prae smells elephants. As tired as she is, she puts her trunk in the air to find out where she is. The volunteers of the ENP are waiting at the gate, and further down the road the other elephants realize a new elephant is arriving. When the chain is removed, she quietly steps out of the truck. Food and medical care first.

Then the other elephants can’t restrain themselves anymore. Within seconds the medical center is filled with curious elephants. The welcome reception couldn’t have been better! Many elephants come by to meet her, comfort her, hug, kiss and inspect her. Sri Prae seems happy beyond words. The photographs tell the story: this was the right decision.

During the first few days at the ENP Sri Prae tries to meet all the elephants at her leisure. She hasn’t decides which family she wants to join yet. She is popular, it is as if all the elephants want her in their herd. She has plenty of options to join a family. Sri Prae can stay at the Elephant Nature Park for the rest of her life, which will no doubt be wonderful.

Would you like to be involved with Sri Prae at the Elephant Nature Park, and contribute to her care? Then become her adoptive parent! The costs for adoption are a minimum of 60 euros. For this amount you have adopted Sri Prae for a year. You will get:
- A series of photographs;
- A certificate of adoption in your name;
- A DVD of the move and Sri Praes new life;
- A beautiful color photograph once year;
- At least once a year a report of her adventures.

Click here to pay the adoption fee online. Please send your postal address to adoptie@bring-the-elephant-home.nl, and you will receive your adoption package by post.

Thank you very much!