This monument is moving!!! Zbilżająca a good night blurred the outlines of the village so I do not know, is it me and I stopped trying to pierce the darkness.
This monument has moved decisively. Zawachlował ears and waved his trunk. A second, located a little further he did even a few steps in my direction.
These monuments live!?
Two elephants have become "parked" on one of the household backyards. I had them almost at hand, I felt wearing their eyes and feel of rough skin. Huge, but beautiful and clever animal. I wondered how it is, that just like staying in a farmyard. The village of Ban Klang in Surin province in northeastern Thailand inhabited by people for generations involved in słońmi. I came in here to stand eye to eye with these huge animals, but I did not know, it will happen so quickly.
The elephant is the symbol of Thailand. Image of the elephant looks at us with the most popular beer brand Chang (elephant or just), stone elephants guard the gates to the temple, White elephants belong to the king.. everywhere, as the length and breadth of the country image and elephant statues are everywhere.
I think everyone would like for once in your life, take a ride on the back of an elephant. I was a little too. Feel what it's like to balance a few meters above the ground, when big, several tonnes bulk sways from side to side breaking through the jungle and you feel like Konan winner on his back. It's so exotic! And then shoot a few Slit-foci, which will go on fejsbuka and the family album. Ride on the back of an elephant is one of the mandatory points in the majority of visitors to Thailand.
Point worth thinking.
In Thailand, the wild live several thousand elephants. This number decreases from year to year and one of the reasons is the illegal poaching and use of these animals in tourism. Demand is because there is a demand. Thousands of tourists want to take a ride on an elephant or watch a circus show tricks in their execution. In Thailand there are many such opportunities and few people are aware of this, over which way the animal, to give us the joy of the moment.
Wild elephant must undergo obedience training, to submit to the will of man. It is rather obvious, that a wild animal by itself will not take anyone "piggyback", however, in this case, training is torture. Small baby elephant is separated from the mother and is subjected to a process called "phajaan" or "broken", part of which is m.in. closure for a few days, even a week in a cage not much larger than himself, Drums, depriving him of sleep and food for several days, to become obedient. It is normal to use a dressage big hooks, driven into the skin. Only fawn słoniątek experiencing "dressage".
Elephants never forget.
Riding in the back of an elephant attached to the basket also makes pain. Despite the size of the animal's skeleton is not designed to carry loads such as. heavy, iron seat.
The elephants were trained in Thailand and countries in the Asian region for centuries, they were used primarily as a means of transport during the felling of trees. But the problem is that, now that this is so, to entertain any of the entertainment of tourists - us, who most often are not aware of or do not think about it that way than a cruel animal, to be able to now before us dance on one leg and trunk start waving goodbye.
There is also the other side of the coin. Many owners of elephants called "mahout", people, who from generation to generation took over the art of dealing with these animals struggling with the high cost of their maintenance (eats for a day 200 kg plant!) and decides to use them gainful employment in tourism. In the village of Ban This clan in the province of Surin to which I got is about 200 elephants gathered in the so-called. Elephant Study Center. The living conditions of these animals are not bad, but still far from perfect.
In the morning I take the bike, I drive through the village and the surrounding area. At every step you will see homestead gardens, where there are elephants. It's definitely a rare view. I look like a little baby elephant standing in the yard with her mother runs, roll over, flips and kicks almost gives off a joyful squeals. Just as the mother has a wrinkled, sack, slightly sagging skin and wise eyes. It is a sweet toddler and immediately call him mentally Fikander.
Some of them are just repairs, washed and goes on show, which is held here twice a day. I would like to believe, that this and other baby elephant escape torture, but seeing the show, which is when you come across, and I have mixed feelings go out and but a lot of doubts. I did not expect this circus spectacle here. I came, because the village is known for its initiative Surin Project in which you can volunteer to work here m.in. the cultivation of plants, which feed on these animals (here mainly sugarcane), oporządzaniu pens, animal care. Price wolonatriatu this week 13000 baht or about 350 dollars is very high, I understand, however,, with goes mainly to keep elephants.
Fortunately, there are also a few other places in Thailand such as the Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai, that hug mistreated animals and provide them with a decent standard of living. I'm going with Ban This Klang in order, it would be great to meet the elephant in the wild. And suddenly – I see! It stands in the middle of rice stubble but strangely moving.. after a while I see, that is attached, It is standing in the scorching heat and sway from side to side which is a symptom of an orphan. Nightmare.
Kao Yai National Park, the largest and oldest in Thailand this place, where elephants are still alive - that's where I direct the bicycle wheel, and I very much hope, with I could shoot him a look. There will be rides or feeding bananas przesłodzonymi.
I have to close the gate, because at night they come - Says Taan, hostess, which allowed me to break down the tent in the buffer zone of the park backyard.
Who comes? I ask
Elephants.
???!!!
At night they come because they grow banana in front of. It's already dry season, I have not rained in and out of the woods, to find food. They are not dangerous, eat yourself and go back.
O mother! How I want to see the elephant!
But the night falls and the addition of raindrops did not hear anything.
The Khao Yai National Park spend three days. It's basically a long mountain range covered with rainforest. Arrives at one of the two campsites in the afternoon, when the monkeys comb the area. Carpet bombing, no crumb of rice will not hide. Know how to unzip the tent and how not to tear togo. Tell me about it, a few days earlier, innocent-looking squirrel wybryzła a hole in a super-hyper-bombastic-fantastic “indestructible” sakwie Ortlieb, to be chosen according to the piece of bread, felt that there. The resident deer are not inferior -one of them head into the tent slips, at night plucking grass a meter from my head and in the morning the whole flock lies near my nami9tu. ok! I think you have to be careful.
All was well until beautifully when I go to the bathroom to wash with women goes beyond meter waran (to about 130 cm) and heads toward the male. Mother, at first I thought, with a crocodile. No, did not predict such images. Whether “this” It is dangerous?! I wanted to commune with nature, but this time nature is beyond me. I think I will not ... I will wash the night sounds of the jungle are so loud and suggestive, and the night so dark, that I have to remove the stoppers, teeth to fall asleep.
I'm leaving the park through thousands of elephant droppings. A little too have pietra, because on that road upset elephant a few weeks ago attacked a car, probably because it trumpeted, and to do that you can not. More than 20 miles and still these laurels, słonia those who widu who słychu, although laurels, Indian and I can how I read these signs - fresh! I mean, are, live and I hope they are happy here.
Somewhere you can still see the elephant please?