The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

My Experience

Eight in the morning on Thursday a group of nine ladies and one gentleman were herded in the taxi to make way for the hour and half bus ride to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary just outside of Chiang Mai. While we were all very excited none of us really had any idea what to expect. We exchanged names and origins and travel stories for the ride and discussed the reasons for why we had chose the EJS (The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary) as our elephant experience. It was a clear consensus that while none of us were apart of PETA or truly extremists we all wanted similar experiences; authentic ethical animal encounters. Basically while we would have loved to just be with the elephants, we had all made the decision to do the research and find an encounter program that emphasized animal welfare over tourist dollar.

**PSA: Elephant tourism is highest in Thailand and India, and still almost half of those tour companies utilize riding elephants as a means of accruing tourist profits. The elephants are required to work long hours, make multiple routes, and push through injury until they are deemed unable to work thus put down or then retired in some other fashion. The declining populations of Asian elephants have been in part due to the demand for elephant tourism in India and Thailand. The unethical treatment of these animals, like most in cages, results in not only endangered animals, but also in aggressive animals that can be dangerous to mahouts and tourists. At the end of the day these gentle giants are just that but any gentle giant can be backed into a corner.**

I signed up for a one day, full day experience. The EJS is by no means the most affordable program in Chiang Mai but it is one of the most ethical facilities in the country. Our program itinerary was simple but delightful; in the morning we discussed the program and the overview, changed into uniform and filled our pockets with sugar cane for the first feeding. We walked down to the field and gave the six elephants treats for about 45/60 minutes and snapped photos and mingled animals and human side by side. Afterward we walked up the hillside each carrying bushels of bamboo plants for their lunch, returned for our own lunch, made medicine for the elephants and fed the elephants again, changed into swim suits took mud baths with the elephants and walked them to the waterfalls for a real bath, engaged in some small base jumping into the waterfall, carried bamboo for the elephants again, washed up, debriefed and then just hung out for the last hour with the elephants at base camp, Phew! All in all we had nearly 6 hours of play with the elephants. None of the mahouts use chains, ropes, hooks etc. there is no riding, and the elephants do not work for the mahouts or people at all, so the elephants roam the property completely free, and respond to voice commands and positive reinforcement with sugar cane treats and lots and lots of love.

Reflections

The staff and the people made this experience even more memorable than I could have ever imagined. I signed up completely solo but came back to Chiang Mai with an entire group of wonderful ladies who had shared an unforgettable experience. In reflecting on my time here I only wish that I could tell more people to do this and that I wish I would have had enough time to do the 1-2 week program because it was so memorable and humbling. You could see in the eyes of these beautiful creatures that they were happy and loved, and I will never forget that look because it was so authentic.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/elephantjunglesanctuary/?fref=ts

http://www.elephantjunglesanctuary.com/