Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, Nov 28

I think it is pretty impossible to convey the warm joy that washes over you when you are held in the soft, intelligent gaze of an elephant at peace. Or to accurately describe the soft skin of her ear, thin as a kitten's. Or to capture the smell--leathery, a little muskier than a horse... Or the wonder of sharing a kind of energetic space with a person of such size and power and fragility. Every time I start I babble on and it doesn't seem enough.

After careful research, we booked a day at Elephant Nature Park outside Chiang Mai (https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/). Bona fide elephant rescue and refuge, they care for elephants that have been abused or are simply too old or injured to be profitable to owners. We were lucky to get a day, they are heavily booked well in advance and I definitely dream of coming back to volunteer for a week or more.

Our day was so simple, really. On the drive out from the city we saw a documentary film on how elephants are broken and brutalized for logging and tourism--utterly hair-raising. And then we were out in the hills, where ENC is working with people who had relied on elephant rides for income but who had now been "converted" as it were. With the lure of our fruit bags (elephants have to eat a tremendous amount), we were able to walk with two lovely ladies, one of whom had a misshapen leg from being stepped on by a doula elephant at birth (in the effort to remove the placental sac--and yes, elephants in birth have doula elephants). There were only five in our group, us and a couple from Iceland.

What did we do? What is so profound? Walking together, feeding, prepping more food for them, splashing and scrubbing an elephant's back as she lolls in the water ... leaning over to reach a spot and finding that I just couldn't help but lie there on her back, the way I remember just lying on my horse's back, totally content to be sharing with another being. . . it is so humbling, and presents a moment of profoundly peaceful joy.

I think any more words would just be hyperbole, so here are some photos. But if you are interested, there are a few links at the end to articles about elephants--and behaviors that we humans tend to arrogantly believe are ours alone. Worth the read(s).

Asian elephants are distinct from African elephants in several ways (probably more, but here is what we learned: they are smaller, only males have tusks, and only the top "lip" of their trunk is prehensile.

Asian elephants are distinct from African elephants in several ways (probably more, but here is what we learned: they are smaller, only males have tusks, and only the top "lip" of their trunk is prehensile.

Their trunks are so delicate in managing fine motor tasks, but so strong--pulling down bamboo trunks well thicker than my wrist and then stripping the leaves off exactly as we do the leaves from rosemary stalks.  

Their trunks are so delicate in managing fine motor tasks, but so strong--pulling down bamboo trunks well thicker than my wrist and then stripping the leaves off exactly as we do the leaves from rosemary stalks.  

Young one keeping a cautious distance at first. Quite a bit bigger and more powerful than horses.

Young one keeping a cautious distance at first. Quite a bit bigger and more powerful than horses.

Elephants sweat only at their cuticles, which is what I am pointing at. I'm sorry, they only "glow" at their cuticles. 

Elephants sweat only at their cuticles, which is what I am pointing at. I'm sorry, they only "glow" at their cuticles. 

Reeds, quite as tasty as bamboo. 

Reeds, quite as tasty as bamboo. 

She prefers to have food placed in her mouth rather than offered for trunk delivery, which is at first a little intimidating...

She prefers to have food placed in her mouth rather than offered for trunk delivery, which is at first a little intimidating...

Takes a fair bit of water to soak an elephant. 

Takes a fair bit of water to soak an elephant. 

Less to soak your wife.

Less to soak your wife.

Post-scrub, but not post-bliss.  

Post-scrub, but not post-bliss.  

After river time with the Ladies, we took a raft down the river to the main sanctuary. I will say, it was one of the more dubious rafting trips, with a lot of high-bottoming and going down rapids backwards. But not particularly dangerous and definitely faster than the road. Great tour of the volunteer residence and the kitchens where they prep food for over 70 elephants, many of whom are old and toothless enough that they get balls of cooked yam and rice. A decent spread of land for them to wander, and the place is a refuge for dogs and cats, too, after the flooding. We got to go see the most recent addition--by birth--of a calf.

Baby with her troop, both Mama and Doula are here. 

Baby with her troop, both Mama and Doula are here. 

Want!

Want!

Playing here we go round the mulberry bush with a young mahout.

Playing here we go round the mulberry bush with a young mahout.

I was floating on clouds for days afterwards.

If you are interested in further reading, see below.

Elephant Intelligence: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-is-in-elephants-are-even-smarter-than-we-realized-video/

12 Amazing Facts About Elephants: http://blog.ed.ted.com/2015/08/11/12-amazing-facts-about-elephants/

Moral behavior in animals: https://www.ted.com/talks/frans_de_waal_do_animals_have_morals