Elephantine!

So happy to see them so close!

You all know my interest in elephants ... For those who do not know it, just come home ... there are everywhere these little beasts!
So when we decided to go on a trip to Thailand, it was unthinkable not to see close .... Yes, you will say that the Beauval Zoo can see .... but it's not the same .... I wanted to touch them, to observe them very closely ...
So when I saw what a tourist provider was proposing ...Safarine Tours Kanchanaburi, not to mention it ... I thought it could be nice .....
In fact, it was not, it was not nice .... it was extraordinarily great! Unbelievable! Huge !!!
The first meeting was completely impromptu ... While passing on the road, a mahout was making to eat his animal along roadside ...

A very handsome male with his tusks

Elephantine!

A mahout (*) is at the same time the master, the guide and the healer of the elephant. We are mahout from generation to generation. Normally a mahout takes care of a single elephant during his life. This relationship between man and animal is particularly developed in Asia where the elephant is still a means of transporting materials in difficult areas.

The mahout sits on the animal's neck and communicates with its elephant through words, gestures and foot movements. Thus an elephant can be trained to react to about fifty words.

A 50 year old female

So we'll learn that this beautiful pachyderm is a 50 year old female ... I'm thrilled!
A foretaste of what awaits us the next day ....
The next day ... After a descent of the river in bamboo raft, we took the direction of the elephant camp ... to participate in the bath of this big stuffed toy! (**)

Walk with them to the river...

The elephant, well used, it must be said, played its role to perfection .... water games, acrobatics ... watering ... we were entitled to everything! Of course, there was the counterpart ... he was not stingy with brushing and caressing ...

So much fun! Elephants bathing...

Elephant and human play water...

Even Raf, he lifted it, looked like nothing ... It was believed that he was going to make a hover ...
In any case, it was an unforgettable moment ..
Unfortunately a little tiring for this beautiful beast. At the end, we felt that he did not have much energy ... the only downside of the adventure ... is that they are still not in their natural state ... (***) and they are still forced laborers ... We seemed to be less abusive than if we had done a trek with the heavy basket ..... but maybe it's just for us to make them feel guilty ... In short, we did it ... next time we will see them in an African national park (in Tanzania or in South Africa ...).
In any case, the expression "as an elephant in a porcelain store" is to be reviewed ... because it is so soft, considerate with its assured and delicate step that I am sure that in a porcelain store, it is me who does the most damage!

Refreshing elephant bath...

(*) In Thailand the mahouts are called คชาชีพ (kha cha chip), ควาญ ช้าง (kwan chang) or more simply ควาญ khwan and หัตถาจารย์ (hat thachan). In the North we also meet กวย (kuai) for experienced mahout. Mahout is a word of Indian origin frequently used in Thailand by foreigners.
(**) Safarine takes special care in choosing elephant camps where they are treated well. Safarine recommends to avoid the walks in basket, to privilege the bathing and to refuse any spectacle of circus.
Operator in the field for more than ten years Safarine believes that we can not boycott elephant camps without jeopardizing the existence and survival of elephants alive that it was the brutal treatments they have suffered in the past especially in the heart of the phachan (a cruel method of training babies elephant).
Safarine is helping to improve the living conditions of domestic elephants in Kanchanaburi province and generally to protect animals.
(***) A young and healthy elephant does not get tired in the water. Elephants love to play in the water. Elephants drink a lot of water. They suck the water with their trunk and put it in the mouth. Elephants like to soak in water (then in dust or mud). In nature when drying, mud forms a crust that traps parasites. When the mud has dried, they rinse. With their trunk, they shower to cool off or have fun. Elephants are dipping when possible and are able to swim long distances!