Friday, November 13, 2015
Oh my goodness!! What
a day!!
We all met downstairs at 8:30… well, most of us! Turns out a few of our group stayed out until
about 4:30am!!!! Two of the four could
not get out of bed. The other two joined
us… Zack was very chipper, Sara faded quickly.
Anyway, amid the pouring rain, we loaded up and headed off for the long
drive up to see the elephant sanctuary!!
Looking out into our courtyard in the pouring rain.
We are dry in the van: Joe, Shelley, Zack, Sara, Michelle and Sandy
Water was very deep in areas.
The little kid is under the rain poncho on the back of the bike.
Two monks under an umbrella on the back of a motorbike.
Normally the sanctuary is only open to the volunteers that
are there for a week or two, but they made a special exception for our
group. Thank you!! Shelley has some friends that happened to be
there, Pat and Henry, at the same time we were in Siem Reap. So we got to meet them and visit as well!
The facility and program is wonderful.
Heading off on a tour of the elephant sanctuary.
This park is a part of the larger organization: The Elephant
Nature Park in northern Thailand
We met our guide and the current group of volunteers, toured
the facility and saw a few videos about the elephant’s plight and situations in
Thailand and Cambodia. Eye opening.
There is solar power in use. The power is only turned on from 6-9pm.
A water purification system that is used by the entire village.
A local dog, with a ridge. She is not nice. Acts nice then tries to bite. There were three of these dogs at the facility, none of them were nice.
We got to join everybody for a fantastic vegan buffet! Don’t know what we ate, but it sure was
good! I have been wanting to take a
cooking class in Siem Reap, but now I want to take a cooking class here at the
sanctuary! Wow, the food was fantastic!
A long tailed Macaque. These primates are taken from private homes, rehabilitated and turned out back into the wild.
One of the huts where volunteers stay.
We watched some very informative videos.
This little girl was visiting with her mom and sister from Australia. She was a hard worker.
After lunch we helped fill little bags of dirt and plant
seeds. These will be added to the
already planted hundreds of thousands of trees trying to reforest the
countryside. It was hot and dirty work,
but fun to share in the task with the other volunteers.
Michelle filling plastic bags with dirt for seeds.
Zack digging in the dirt.
Joe planting seeds.
Some of the seeds just starting to sprout.
Sandy wheeling the bags of dirt to their special spot.
After a short rest, we chopped and prepped food for the
elephants. They enjoy sugar cane (we
enjoyed a bit as well!). The two
elephants that live at this park are very old… in their 60’s and 70’s I think…
so the sugar cane is chopped into foot long pieces and much of the tough outer
fiber is cut off. The elephants also
enjoy banana tree “branches” (don’t know what you call the parts of the plant…)
and little watermelons! They get fresh
produce of whatever is in season.
Shelley explaining some of the donations.
The proper way to chop sugar cane: Hi Yah!
Sandy removing the tough outer fiber on the sugar cane.
Wild Zack chopping some of the banana plant.
We got to go out into the field and feed the treat to the
two elephants. That was an incredible
experience!
Sara's tatoo! From a book her dad used to read her as a child.
Heading off to bed.
Pat and Henry.
A praying mantis.
Flocks of school kids heading home after school.
It was finally time to say good bye to our new friends and head back to Siem Reap. After cleaning up we all met for a drink and dinner at Charlies. Most of us were ready for an early evening and bed. Tomorrow is our last day… we fly out late at night…
Until later!
More info about the Save Elephant Foundation
Save Elephant Foundation is a Thai non–profit organization
dedicated to providing care and assistance to Thailand’s captive elephant
population through a multifaceted approach involving local community outreach,
rescue and rehabilitation programs, and educational ecotourism operations. Each
of our flagship projects is aimed at accomplishing that mission, as well as
working towards these goals:
to expand self-sustaining eco-tourism operations that
benefit local communities and ecosystems
to better incorporate our efforts into local communities and
to ensure their benefit through our continuing operation
to become a leader in the field of Asian elephant research
through academic outreach and education programs
to create practical, positive reinforcement based elephant
training and rehabilitation programs
to establish an international volunteer community that
raises awareness to issues facing the Asian elephant
to more fully integrate with the global conservation
community to facilitate dynamic cross-cultural networking
The Save Elephant Foundation is working within the Cambodia
Wildlife Sanctuary to protect and conserve 1 million acres of jungle habitat,
approximately one hour north of Angkor Wat. The project spans 25,000 acres and
aims to protect the land and all of the native species, flora and fauna, that
call it home, including tigers, monkeys, buffalos, and of course, the Asian
elephant.
Initially, this project will focus on tree planting and
restoring the region’s forest and combatting the illegal logging that has taken
place. Other goals for the Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia are plant and wildlife
identification, seed collecting, trail-making and educational outreach. Be a
part of this project from its grass-roots!
Meet the herd at Cambodia
Sponsorships are a great way to show your love, compassion
and support for the elephants at Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia. The money helps
to provide the best food, medical care and shelter. In return, you’ll receive a
PDF certificate and periodic updates on what your sponsored elephant has been
up to.
Sponsor an Elephant from Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia!
Arun Rai (bd ~ 1975),
which means “Morning Sun”, was rescued from a logging camp in eastern Cambodia
in January 2013. She and fellow rescue,
Kham Lin, were the first to call the Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia home. Arun Rai is now enjoying her new found
freedom by roaming the jungle with long walks.
Kham Lin (bd ~ 1970)
Kham Lin was rescued from a logging camp in eastern Cambodia at the same
time as Arun Rai. Although the two
elephants are friendly to each other, they often spend their days apart.
DOG PROJECT
Although dogs and elephants may not find themselves sharing
the same space in the wild, the Save Elephant Foundation provides a loving home
for both species at Elephant Nature Park.
ENP Dogs began as a result of catastrophic floods in Bangkok
towards the end of 2011. In rented boats navigating the river of streets, ENP
volunteers rescued dogs trapped on rooftops and desperate for help. Many dogs
were too afraid to board our boats and were given fresh water, food and medical
treatment to survive on their own.
Of the 2,000 dogs pulled to safety, 155 were brought to
Elephant Nature Park to begin their second chance at life. Large ‘dog runs’
were built with all kinds of things for the dogs to climb on, swim in, and play
amongst. A small animal hospital was constructed and a full time vet and clinic
manager have been employed to care for ENP’s new family.
Since the floods, many new dogs have joined the family,
several of them puppies or pregnant mothers who’ve come from the surrounding
communities and have suffered malnutrition, disease, abuse and neglect. ENP
Dogs has also saved many dogs destined for the illegal dog meat trade in Laos
or Vietnam.
Currently ENP is home to over 400 dogs! Caring for all these
wonderful animals is a full-time job, and we need your help! The project
accepts weekly volunteers, so if you love dogs and are hard-working, we’d love
to have you!
