April 2011

“Non. Too sad,” said Random French Dude, dismissing me with a wave of his hand.

I was in a ramshackle outdoor bar in Pai, Thailand, having drinks with some stray travelers. They asked about my weeklong experience volunteering with elephants.

“Were these animals sick? Injured?” Random French Dude asked.

“Yes, most of them have had difficult lives,” I said. “Some of them still have injuries from abuse. But they’re happy now. The park is a sanctuary.”

“Non. I do not like that kind of thing,” he said, scowling. “I like happy things only.”

“Oui,” his friend nodded, then lit the end of a Marlboro.

Random French Dude proceeded to tell me about his recent two-hour elephant trek, in which a metal seat was strapped to an animal’s back, carving out deep, raw divots in its hide. A guide led the creature by hammering a metal hook into its neck.

Oh, yes. That sounds sooo happy.

As a volunteer, I spent a week at Elephant Nature Park, located about an hour outside of Chiang Mai. Our group of 30-some volunteers was split into smaller clusters that rotated chores throughout the week.

Sometimes we chopped corn, which is a delicious elephant snack. Other times we scrubbed bathtubs full of produce, since the pesticides on watermelon rind and squash skin could hurt delicate elephant tummies.

We shoveled elephant dung, we dug mud pits, we prepared squishy food for elephants with bad teeth, we even patched the potholed road that leads to the sanctuary. Twice a day we helped feed the gentle giants, and every afternoon we took them into the river for a bath.

Overall, it was a memorable and magical experience.

What impressed me most about Elephant Nature Park is that they never solicited donations for themselves. Instead, they taught visitors and volunteers about the issues plaguing Asian elephants, they encouraged us to tell others, and they asked us to get involved in whatever way possible. Their message wasn’t focused on the park — it was all about the animals.

The huge problem for elephants began when the Thai government banned logging in the 1990s, putting thousands of elephants out of work. Likewise, elephant mahouts (handlers) had few options. They could abandon their animals, sell them to trekking companies or panhandle with the elephants on street corners.

So an out-of-work elephant, begging for a tiny baggie of fruit, is not an uncommon sight on the streets of Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Though the practice is technically illegal, the police often turn a blind eye. Meanwhile, the elephants are stressed and agitated from the traffic, lights, congestion and noise of the cities. They rock back and forth, a sign of distress.

The elephants lucky enough to get work with a trekking company face grueling labor. They often don’t receive the proper food or veterinary care. When injured, they aren’t allowed enough time to heal. Their backs are blistered and wounded from metal chairs, their spines compromised by heavy loads, their skin wounded from beatings with metal hooks.

The elephants also go through a brutal taming process before they interact with humans. This involves squeezing a young elephant into a small cage and keeping the animal chained for weeks at a time, poking it with sharp objects and beating it with sticks. After enough abuse, the spirit is effectively broken. In the end, the elephant is dominated.

Compounding these issues is the fact that elephant numbers are dwindling. At the start of the 20th Century there were 100,000 elephants in Thailand. Now there are about 3,000.

As Random French Dude says, too sad.

As I say, screw that.

Real change can only be achieved by recognizing injustice and refusing to close your eyes. It means purposely looking at the sadness in the world and making a conscious effort to help.

The good thing is that Elephant Nature Park didn’t turn away. They are a haven for glorious creatures who have already lived difficult lives. Their goal is not only to take in wounded animals, but to eradicate the cycle of abuse and exploitation. Their guiding philosophy is kindness.

Volunteering there was worthwhile not just because I helped smooth over ugliness. Rather, I witnessed the wild beauty of freedom — and that’s something extraordinary. Not sad.

Interested in visiting or volunteering with Elephant Nature Park? Get more info over here. Visitors can make day trips or stay overnight for up to eight days. Volunteers can stay for many weeks. I paid nearly $400 to volunteer for one week, and that included accommodation and three delicious (mostly vegan!) buffet meals per day.

I also got to kiss elephants every day, which is priceless.