Driving around a bend tonight, I saw a red light flashing in front of me. It was fixed to the tail of an elephant. He was quite a big beast so I’m glad I had some warning as I approached. Even if Thais themselves ignore this safe driving practice, always drive in Thailand at a speed that allows you to pull up within the space that you can see ahead of you.
In the evening, the mahout will lead his elephant to local restaurants, or places where tourists congregate. The patrons, Thai and farang, usually give generously.
Sadly, that perpetuates a dangerous and often cruel practice of bringing elephants into crowded areas. The mahout is looking for gifts of money. He will sell you sugar cane to feed the animal. If you pay him, he’ll let you take photographs. Too much sugar can, in any case, make elephants hyperactive.
The practice is being discouraged because of the risks involved but the regulations are not often enforced by the police.
ELEPHANT SANCTUARIES
The best way to interact with these creatures is to visit the sanctuaries where they are well looked after and don’t have to parade on the streets or perform at circus-like shows. Always more interesting to see them behaving naturally in safe conditions.
National Elephant Day attracts more Thais than tourists and is popular with adults and children alike. Entry to the parks is generally free for children on that one day in the year. There is much to watch and enjoy.
IN THE OLD DAYS.
Traditionally, elephants were used by the logging companies to push and pull the timber from the teak forests to the rivers. Five or six elephants would work together to roll the logs and to un-block any logjams that occurred on the rivers. In the mid nineteenth century, there were about 100,000 working elephants. No figures are available for the wild elephants that were not used as beasts of burden.
Today deforestation is strictly controlled and, apart from around 3000 wild elephants roaming the forests, elephants are mainly found in tourist parks and zoos. They are a protected species and are generally well cared for. They have been trained to play in an elephant football team, kicking around a very large football.
Some have taken a brush in their mouths and tried their skills in painting on canvas. Opinion is divided on whether training elephants in this way is demeaning or whether they enjoy exercising their brains.
Visitors can take short rides or can go on treks that cover greater distances. These treks can be an enjoyable day out. One sees much of the countryside that is not visible from the tourist coaches.
Some parks allow you to get very close to the elephants and encourage you to help bathe and care for them, under the supervision of the mahout. There are elephant hospitals that you can visit. This photo shows one we visited in Lampang.
A mahout stays with his charge throughout the elephant’s life and a bond develops between them. Despite that, some mahouts do get killed, particularly when the bull elephant is “in must,” and experiences a surge in hormones. They can get extremely violent to humans and other elephants alike.
MY DAY AS A MAHOUT WITH NAAM
I was awake at 5.30 this morning. After an invigorating shower, I put on my blue overalls, tied a sash around my waist, and donned my white bell-shaped hat. The uniform I would be wearing as I experience being a Thai mahout for the day.
The first challenge was getting on my tall and heavy elephant. Fortunately, Naam was in cooperative mood. One command of sawng soo and she raised her foot so that I could mount and sit astride her neck, my legs behind her ears. Naam is well over two metres in height.
Moving and changing direction are achieved using a combination of verbal commands and applying pressure to the sensitive parts near the elephant’s head. A firm, though not in any way vicious, kick behind the left ear made Naam turn to the right. It was not difficult to learn the basic aids or commands though they must be given in a strong voice and with determination.
It is said that a good mahout does not need to use the sharp metal hook to control his charge. However, I have never seen a mahout without one. In any case, the hook is not used as a punishment. The foot-long instrument enables the mahout to reach the pressure points which control the elephant’s movements.
A mahout stays with the same elephant throughout his life and a bond and mutual trust develops. When the animal is in “must” and sexually aroused, or when a female beast is with her calf, great care must be taken.
It is rare, but not unknown, for an experienced mahout to be killed by an elephant who has been with its keeper for maybe 40 or 50 years. Elephants are wild animals and should be respected as such.
Naam loved being bathed and it was difficult to imagine she could get violent quickly. I had no such problems with her during the whole day. She immersed herself (and me) several times in the water to get the dust off her body. She used her trunk to spray water on her back.
We ambled back to camp, Naam stopping occasionally to pick up food with her trunk while I admired some of Thailand’s breath-taking views from my high vantage point.
I will not forget Naam. I’m looking forward to spending another fun, (sanuk), day with her soon.