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For all of you who are past visitors of the Park and read every newsletter, waiting for the next edition with bated breath, our last newsletter ended on a sad note because of the news about Pupia and his mother Mae Toh Koh leaving the Park, and Pupia's future as a painting elephant. But in this edition happy days are here again because since Pupia's sad departure, two new mother-and-baby pairs have arrived to stay for maternity leave at Elephant Nature Park!
Both babies are doing well, and of course there has been a lot of excitement and interest from our resident youngsters, especially Tong Jan, Aura, and Faa Sai (and even Hope and Tong Suk) all wanting to meet them. The competition for position of auntie is still on, but Dok Ngern has been in the lead for some time now. She is "number one auntie" to Tong Tae and is very proud to have a calf trying to suckle at her young breast! Kham Sai was showing an interest in Tong Tae, but it seemed her shyness with adult elephants kept her from getting a position. Malai Tong (who like Dok Ngern was quite dedicated to Pupia when he was here) is crazy about babies, and if there are any here, she has to be in on the auntie role. Malai Tong has been trying desperately to become "number one auntie" to Tong Kham, and he is quite happy with her but his mother Mae Boon Chu is uncertain. She has only been able to spend limited time with the cow and calf, so she has resigned herself for the time being to being a second auntie to Tong Tae. Mae Boon Ma, the white elephant, also has an auntie position in this newly-created family group. In the meantime, Sri Nuan, who was another auntie to Pupia, is keeping to herself these days. She socializes with some of the other Park females that she is comfortable with, but doesn't seem interested in becoming an auntie to the new babies. Possibly she is afraid of the loss she will feel when they leave, something she just experienced with Pupia, and is afraid to create any new bonds with a mother and a baby.
News Flash... In the month since the story above was written, Sri Nuan (the oldest, experienced, matronly auntie from the Pupia family group) has finally succumbed to her maternal instincts and joined up with Dok Ngern, Mae Boon Ma, and Malai Tong to be an auntie to Tong Tae, the son of Mae Tong Dee. Also, Malai Tong is temporarily on the sidelines because Dr. Rinku and Dr. Prasit performed a minor surgery on her back right foot with the old landmine injury, removing some dead tissue. Malai Tong is anxious to resume her active auntie position, and as soon as it is ok for her to get back out there, she will be making up for lost time, loving and helping to look after little Tong Tae.
Faa Sai Moves In With Tong Jan's Family After a few weeks of confusion, not understanding where Pupia and Mae Toh Koh had gone, Faa Sai has settled in with Tong Jan's family. She now seems very happy and this is a stable environment for her as the only non-permanent member of the group is auntie Mae Elu. Tong Jan greatly enjoys having Faa Sai as a family member since her mom doesn't really like her straying too far away, and now she doesn't have to, she has a 'big sister' right there! Faa Sai (and Tong Jan too!) Is very interested in the newest babies, Tong Kham and Tong Tae, and tries to get over to see them as often as she can. It is rewarding to see Faa Sai integrated into a permanent family group, where she can grow up with guidance and comfort from the older females who care for her, and enjoy the strong bond and playful companionship of a "little sister."
Ele Gossip: Taa Raa (Jarunee) Update Jarunee (who was renamed Taa Raa upon arrival by Lek) began her new life at Elephant Nature Park in late November of last year and is settling in quite well. Taa Raa is an absolutely lovely elephant with a very sweet and gentle character, most people who meet her and spend any time with her usually fall in love quite quickly with this gentle giant. Not a lot is known about her history but she arrived in poor condition, very underweight with unhealthy looking skin and many, many scars on her rear end, sides and top of head. These scars alone tell quite a story of what she has endured in her working life. It is hard to say exactly how old she is but the guess is that she is in her mid-50's. When Taa Raa first arrived, she was allowed to roam freely for probably her first time ever. If any other elephants started moving in her direction, she would turn tail and start to run in the opposite direction, away from the approaching elephant. As time passed, she started to relax and wasn't so scared of being in the proximity of the other members of our herd. Though she prefers to stay on the sidelines and be an observer as opposed to doing much socializing with the other residents at the Park, she soon had a new friend, and kind of an unlikely one at that.
Ele Gossip: The Bulls Towards the very end of May it was evident that Boon Khum's musth period was nearing its end. He had not had any visible temporin for over a week, and there was no sign of GPS (green penis syndrome) as well. When he was approached for feeding and cleaning his area, he remained calm and docile and didn't act aggressive towards caregivers and mahouts. Caution must be taken at all times as a male elephant may outwardly seem to be finished with musth, but if he is allowed to wander freely too soon, he can turn aggressive without warning, which can create a very dangerous situation. All of the proper precautions were taken and when it seemed that Boon Khum was truly out of musth, he was taken down to the river for a proper bath and then was led to a quiet place in the Park where he could graze peacefully on the plentiful grasses that the rainy season brings. He is now roaming freely and enjoying life, occasionally socializing with the females, but mostly keeping to himself.
There has been a big change in Max's life recently. Karl, his mahout of five years, has decided to leave the Park to work with elephants in Australia. Max will surely miss Karl, who was very caring and attentive with him, but Max is pretty easygoing and is adjusting well to his new mahout. (With this newsletter are some beautiful and majestic photos of Max that were taken recently for all to enjoy.) Khum Minh (pronounced kham meun) is still in musth, though his musth cycle is also nearing its end. As was mentioned in the last newsletter, Khum Minh gets a lot of female attention while in musth and has frequent visitors including our juvenile bulls Hope and Tong Suk ("Jungle Boy"), so he has lots of stimulation, which breaks up the monotony of being tethered for the duration of his musth period.
Our Elephant Nature Park Experience (SMU) For the second year in a row, a student group from SMU in Singapore (hosted by our Singapore contact Grant Pereria) came to stay as volunteers at Elephant Nature Park for three weeks. The group of students accomplished some amazing tasks and had a fun time as well. Here is their story of the adventures they had during their stay at Elephant Nature Park.
Upon touchdown, the uneasiness and doubts seem to have been left behind in Singapore. Excitement and anticipation took over at what laid ahead of us. We already knew in gist what was in store for us, yet talking and doing is incomparable. Before we even reached the Park itself, all we were talking about was Elephant Nature Park, Elephant Nature Park, and Elephant Nature Park. Singapore, home, and everything else seems to have become a distant past, temporarily forgotten as we immerse ourselves in our new location, our new circumstance. As the days ensued, we increasingly learned to love the life at the Park and appreciate the things we have done.
Apart from work, there were plenty of leisure activities as well. A trek to the waterfall, going on elephant walks, attending a traditional hill tribe wedding, bathing and feeding elephants up close, going up to Elephant Haven, and to top it all, witnessing the birth of a new life in Elephant Nature Park! It was a fitting climax to our eventful trip, to catch sight of the newborn elephant before we depart. Everybody who comes to the Park for volunteer work will gain in one way or another, but our group has to be one of the luckiest ever, having the chance to catch a glimpse of a one-day old elephant calf! All good things come to an end, and by the time we left the Park, we've made lots of friends, relationships blossomed between humans, elephants, children, and dogs. Insights and perspectives were gained and bonds were forged. It was an unforgettable experience, and before we go, we just want to let you know, Elephant Nature Park, we love you! We will be back!
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The first pair came to the Park initially as one: mother-to-be Mae Boon Chu arrived on May 2nd, at the very end of her pregnancy, due to give birth at any time. Three weeks later, on May 25th at approximately 2:19am, she gave birth to a strong and healthy baby boy whom the mahout/owner named Tong Kham, which means double gold. He was stumbling around on his wobbly newborn legs moments after birth and he had his first suckle on mother's breast about an hour later. Imagine the week's volunteers who had to leave that Sunday, with a new baby ele just having been born the night before!
As if this particular Sunday wasn't exciting enough, later that day at around 4:00pm, the last of the remaining volunteers had the great pleasure of escorting in the other new Park arrivals! Mae Tong Dee and her 10-day-old son (who at the time was yet to be named) were at a nearby elephant camp, and their owner decided that he would rather have his elephants stay at Elephant Nature Park for much-needed rest and relaxation.
A group of volunteers were driven to where the pair were staying and made the 45-minute walk back to the Park with mom and baby. The little bull calf, who was later named Tong Tae, which means pure gold, was so excited to be off on this little adventure! As we walked along it was obvious he was getting a little tired, but when we stopped for him to take a rest and a suckle from mom's breast, after a quick drink he just wanted to keep moving, eager to see where the journey would end. Another exciting aspect to Tong Tae and his mother's arrival is that we learned from the owner that the two elephants are blood related to our big boy Hope. Mae Tong Dee is supposedly the older sister of Hope's deceased mother.
Six-year-old Tong Suk ("Jungle Boy"), the adopted nephew of Mae Keow (and Lilly), started to spend time with Taa Raa, feeling he needed to branch out and give himself more auntie options. Jungle Boy spends many a morning and afternoon in the company of Taa Raa and she patiently enjoys pushing, shoving, and head-butting playfully with the young tusker. Taa Raa has also become much more comfortable with two of our other more shy females, Mae Geao and Kham Sai, though the three have not yet formed any firm bonds. Only time will tell where Taa Raa will fit in, but in the meantime, she is filling out nicely and enjoying a peaceful life at Elephant Nature Park.
As for Max, the grand old man is doing quite well these days, spending most of his time alone but also enjoying the company of his favorite females, Mae Perm, Jokia and Somboon on most mornings. Hope (the adopted "nephew/son" of the aforementioned eles) adores Max and spends a lot of time with him, pushing and playing and just hanging around. Max is very tolerant of Hope and understands that Hope has a lot to learn and that he, Max, is a role model for the young bull. (Hopefully, Hope will take after Max in his gentle way with the ladies!)
The reality of leaving our family, friends, and lifestyle behind for three weeks only really set in when we were at the airport. At the back of our minds, there was this nagging thought that "oh my goodness three weeks is a really long time." With a heavy heart and half asleep still, we boarded the early flight to Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai.
Within the short period of three weeks, we went through a myriad of activities, some rousing and some dousing the fire within us. The mundane daily tasks such as clearing the buffalo sheds was certainly not one of our favorite activities, but having been there done that, it still undeniably forms a part of our memories and experiences, one that we can look back and laugh at. Our main task at hand was reforestation, and it was unquestionably hard work. First in line was the collection of saplings, undoubtedly the simplest process yet not as enjoyable as it sounds. We had to travel quite a distance on the truck, be it rain or shine, and load up thousands of the fragile precious saplings in a single trip. Not to mention the saplings takes precedence over us when it comes to seating arrangements on the truck! The saplings get to lie comfortably in the truck, while we hang like monkeys on the side or squeeze into a leftover corner. But honestly, that was what made the collection trip fun, and collection of saplings quickly became one of our favorite errands!
Planting the saplings was hard work, but it was also the most rewarding. When the sun is out, we have to dig through rock hard soil. When rain falls, we trudge through mud that reaches above our ankles. Hardly sounds rewarding, but after a hard day's work and we look back at the saplings-covered field, the sense of accomplishment felt is absolutely beyond words. It feels wonderful to know we were able to individually contribute to helping the elephants, helping Elephant Nature Park, and all of us just cannot wait to return to Elephant Nature Park once again and see the fruits of our labor.
Other than planting, we collected bamboo rafts, visited a nursery, collected banana stems, planted banana saplings, and brought necessities to a hill tribe. All these were tough work, but they brought us lots of fun and laughter too. Floating down the river on a bamboo raft, loading a truck full of banana stems, and playing with the nursery kids were new experiences that urban dwellers like us will treasure for the rest of our lives.
