Song of Elephant Nature Park

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

THAILAND | Tuesday, 11 December 2012 | Views [238] | View Larger Image

Faa Mae, suitably out of it, clutches a stray bamboo leaf into her trunk, curled up like an ammonite fossil. This image holds a strange level of emotiveness to me; pseudo philosophy aside, I see something of the fragility of the Asian elephant population represented here. Anyone else? No?

At last, Faa Mae teeters and drops like a sack of potatoes (albeit, one fit for a giant). Immediately, her family encircle her and Lek, their great stumps of legs forming a protective barrier. Lek, unfazed, continues to sing into the baby’s ear, while I try and stay the heck awake myself.

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Away from the cooing crowd, a mahout teaches one of the resident dogs to shake hands. My time at ENP was filled with moments like this – staff members exchanging affection with the animals when they think no one is watching. Combine these loveable glimpses with the tireless efforts of the park’s coordinators to raise awareness of animal conservation, and you walk away with renewed faith in humanity.

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Song of Elephant Nature Park

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

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