Two elephants stroll through the grounds of the Anantara hotel
Aek was only 6 years old when she met Bou, who was twice her age at the time. What most impressed the boy was his size: at 12 years of age he was already close to 3 meters tall and almost 3,000 kilos in weight . His father, like his grandfather and his father, were mahouts from Surin province in northeast Thailand, and there was no doubt that Aek would carry on the family tradition of being an elephant keeper, a trade that has been passed down from father to son. children in this area of the country for more than 4,000 years.
He still remembers the first day that he overcame his fear and began to feed Bou, starting a friendship that 23 years later remains intact. "Between a mahout and his elephant a bond is created that lasts a lifetime" , a smiling account from the Anantara Hotel elephant camp in northern Thailand. The hotel collaborates with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation to help the animals and their keepers make a living sustainably. Currently provides work and accommodation for 26 elephants, their corresponding mahouts and their families , who without this support would probably end up on the streets of any big city begging for the generosity of tourists in exchange for a few tricks.
Elephant ride through the jungle North of Thailand
This was the case of Kam Sao, who until recently walked the streets of downtown Bangkok with her mahout selling sugar canes to tourists who took her picture like this to complete her vacation in exotic Bangkok. Four times they were arrested and expelled from the city by the rescue team of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. When they were caught in Bangkok they moved to Pattaya, and when they were arrested in Pattaya they returned to Bangkok in a vicious circle that seemed to have no end. Today, Kam Sao, his mahout and his wife live in the Anantara hotel, where they receive a salary that allows them to live with dignity. This is the key to the success of this program: not to buy the elephants but to rent them to their mahouts while they stay in the hotel, which ensures that they do not go looking for other elephants with the money obtained.
Aek teaches us how to address the elephants, what words and gestures are part of the language that they dominate and with which they come to form that very special relationship with these peaceful giants of the jungle. Pai (forward), baen (turn) and above all how (for) are the keywords . In this master class, part of the Anantara Elephant Camp program, we walk through the impressive landscape of jungle of the Golden Triangle, an area in northern Thailand bordering Burma and Laos and crossed by the Mekong River . Sitting on Lanna's head, my legs squeezing tightly behind her ears, the initial fear turns to surprise first and sheer delight later, as I get used to the rocking and constant flapping of her ears in my hands. legs. “Pai, pai,” I say as Lanna stops on the way to eat a handful of bamboo culms that she easily pulls off with her trunk. Elephants only sleep 3-4 hours each night, and spend the rest of their time eating, mainly grass, bamboo and sugar cane.
Dip in the Mekong
My group is made up of three children and four adults, each one on their corresponding elephant and with the mahouts walking alongside. We all headed to the river to share with the elephants one of their favorite moments of the day: bathroom. Elephants frolic, dive and spray us with their trunks in a game that children, adults and elephants seem to enjoy alike. It is impressive to see these gigantic animals diving into the murky water of the Mekong and frolicking like children. Apart from being careful not to be stepped on or crushed when turning on themselves, bathing with the elephants turns out to be a very fun and safe experience. As usually happens, it is the children who first lose their fear, and they force us adults to force a security that we do not have at the beginning and that when we leave the river soaked and happy, it already begins to appear.
Alan, one of the American volunteers who works at the hotel, explains to me later that most of the hotel's elephants have been rescued from the streets of Bangkok , from illegal felling of trees or before being sold for shows in other countries. Their mahouts, accustomed in many cases to precarious living conditions and with few professional options, are re-educated with positive reinforcement techniques and, while they reside in the hotel, they receive a salary and benefits for their families. We start the return to the base camp covered in mud and tired of the emotions of the day. “Baen!” I yell at Lanna pressing at the same time with my left leg. To my surprise, she slowly turns to the right and for an instant makes me feel like I have control over her movements. A whole lesson that only increases my respect for this immense animal.
Pachyderma entourage by the Anantara hotel