|
Elephants -
Elephants are very sensitive, intelligent and beautiful animals. People in Asia have destroyed their natural habitat, so that elephants cannot survive any more without help. The villagers have burnt and cut so much of the rain forest, that elephants cannot find enough food any more. Farmers made fields for pineapples and rice, but as for many centuries it had been the elephant’s land, the land of their fathers and forefathers the animals came back. They were shot, poisoned and one animal was even burnt alive. There are some people here, who understand the situation and want to help the elephants to survive. A women called Lek (Lek means 'small') who was in the tourist business realised the terrible situation of the elephants. She had brought people to the elephant shows. She felt and saw the pain of the elephants who have been trained to do things for the tourists that does not fit their nature. She found out, that the elephants were hit and cut with knifes to force them to do things they did not like. Elephants are expensive and they had to earn money! She wanted to help the elephants, and talked to the owners, but she found out, that the main purpose was to earn money! Some elephants even worked day and night, they were given Amphetamines, so they didn’t get tired and during the nights they carried illegal loads over the mountains. Everybody knows what is going on in the so called 'Golden Triangle'! Some elephants hardly can open their eyes any more, they are swollen, red and hurt badly. A mother elephant should only care for her baby in the first two years, and not work or carry heavy loads. But that means that no money is earned and therefore many elephant babies are killed to make their mothers go on working. Lek and a friend started to buy sick and injured elephants. It was not easy, because nobody wants this situation to be known. They opened a new elephant camp for these elephants but soon after it was opened the camp was burnt down, the elephants were poisoned and her friend was shot in January 1997. His life was saved through an expensive operation which cost 1/2Million Baht (a worker earns about 4000-6000 Baht/month) and he had to stay in hospital for a long time. He will be an invalid for the rest of his life. Finally the police arrested the criminal, and also investigated in the cases of the poisoned elephants. Lek continued alone with her family: she sold her house, her car and started to build up a new camp. At first the members of her family were afraid to work in the new elephant camp, but finally her dream has come true, 'the Elephant Nature Park' is reality and about 30 elephants are living there, which all have a sad story to tell. An elephant needs 300 kg of food a day. At the 'Elephant Nature Park' the animals work only two hours a day. In the morning they come from the jungle with their Mahout (keeper) and first they take a bath in the river. Every elephant lives with his Mahout. As the natural order is disturbed, the elephant can not survive without the Mahout looking after him. The Mahout and the elephant usually stay together their whole life. When the first tourists arrive, the elephants are enjoying the bath, and then the elephant-show continues with things, elephants like to do. You really can feel, that the elephants are enjoying themselves, especially the young ones who play with the ball! After the show people go for a ride for about an hour along the river in the jungle and then change to an Ox-cart to come back to the camp. There are also Oxen living in this camp for the same reason. Oxen have been working in the rice fields but now machines are doing the work and the Oxen are slaughtered. The tourist business covers some of the costs, but there is not enough money because there is another very important project: the mobile elephant-ambulance. There is a hospital south of Chiang Mai which can treat elephants. But the transport of an elephant to the hospital costs about 10’000 Baht, which means that practically nobody can afford to send the elephant to the hospital. Some are also afraid, that people might ask questions for often the elephant owners are involved in illegal affairs. And finally: The elephant should earn money, not cost money!
 Bunma who stepped into a broken bottle. Let me tell you briefly some stories about the hospital: Bunma stepped into a broken bottle-bottom with sharp serrated edges and his foot got badly infected because his owners waited too long to give him the treatment he needed. He is still alive and there are chances that he will recover. Mae Katjan (Mae = Mother) was 42 years old. She was a show elephant and got hurt in a fight with other elephants. Only when the wound got infected, was she finally brought to the hospital but on the way she also broke a leg in the truck. Since she was trained to salute and bend her knees, every time someone approached her, she saluted even with a broken leg and the great pain. She was operated on but it was too late, two weeks later she died.
 Pepsi was poisened by the pesticides from the vegetables. The saddest story is about 'Pepsi'. When he was about 7 years old, a rich man bought him for pleasure. Nobody really knew how to feed and raise the elephant. They bought carrots, cucumbers, cabbages etc. at the market and just threw it in front of him, unwashed, on the muddy floor. After six month Pepsi suffered from diarrhoea, but nobody paid attention. Later he had fever and began to cough. He got weaker every day until he fell and could not get up any more. When finally he was brought to the hospital, his legs where bending like rubber and his whole body was poisoned by the pesticides from the vegetables. Pepsi had a very strong heart, and fought for his life, he shed tears and begged for help. A swimming program, which he enjoyed very much, was meant to make him stronger, but even the good food and the bananas he received could not save him. He died at the age of only nine. Even today, when Lek is telling this story, she has to cry. She said that it was so sad to see Pepsi die. It was this story that made me go to help the elephants. I could feel all the pain at once! Often I go to the camp now. There is an old mother-elephant, who’s trunk is injured, so that the bananas have to be put directly into her mouth. When I was standing there the first time, close to her open mouth, I was petrified with fear for a moment. But then I screwed up my courage, put the bananas into her open mouth. It was a wonderful experience to feel the affection of this huge animal. Since then I am not afraid of elephants any more. Dear readers, we are looking for people, who love elephants and who would like to enable us to help the elephants. It is necessary to build up the mobile elephant-ambulance. We have founded an international elephant club the 'SOMA Elephant Club' in order to support the elephants. Every 2 months we publish a bulletin in English and German to report about the progress of our work with the ambulance and how the money has been spent. There will also be more stories to be read about elephants in the camp and what’s going on behind the scenes. We would like to invite you to come and to know more about the elephants. If you are an elephant-fan and want to become a member and help us please contact me at the following address: Katharina Bless, Chiang Mai University, P.O. Box 85, Chiang Mai, 50202, Thailand, Phone and Fax: +66 53 276 981 E-mail: soma@chmai.loxinfo.co.th, WWW: http://chmai.loxinfo.co.th/~soma Katharina Bless is a Swiss vegetarian, who has been living for several years in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she runs the small vegetarian restaurant 'Oasis'. She also produces simple natural remedies and is now very much involved in the preparations for the IVU Congress in Thailand as programme co-ordinator. (SDL) |
