What's Up with YOUR Elephant?

It was a day of elephants -- feeding, petting, washing, and watching.  And more feeding and petting.  It takes a lot to make an elephant happy!

We decided to spend the day at an elephant sanctuary where "retired" and "abused" elephants are rescued and cared for.  So lots of time to interact with the elephants but no riding as that is considered "working" for the elephant.  A Thai woman has been running this sanctuary for many years and now has 44 elephants on site (as well as a real menagerie of other animals.)  Many of the elephants were abused while used for logging, trekking, and street begging.

The day began with having everyone feed the elephants from a second story porch.  Elephants learn you "by smell" and thus became familiar with their new caretakers!  Then we were allowed to walk down on the grounds and feed the animals (again.)  When you eat 10% of your body weight every day, it is a lot of eating!  Then we watched the elephants in the river.   Feed them again from the porch.

In the afternoon, we went back down by the river and gave them a bath, mostly throwing water on them.  We walked along the river area and watched them play, first in the water and then throwing dirt on themselves (to protect from the sun.)  We feed them some more; petted them some more.

And that was our day with the elephants.  I have always had a special love for these animals; so this was a day I'll remember for a long time.

Feeding the elephants from a porch; each elephant has a mahout "watching" all the time

Watermelon and pumpkins were the steady diet.

"Go Closer" the guide called out....sure...and here is a pumpkin to show I come in peace!

Mostly the elephant was happy to be eating....but we were into throwing the water!

Sweet girls!

Though the elephants are genetically unrelated, they have formed families and live together.

Clean from the river...time to apply sunscreen, er, dirt.