Elephan-tastic!! (i know i'm a dork)
Today was amazing! It all started at the break of dawn, when I went to bed to get my customary four hours of sleep a night. I had to get up at 8:30 – an absolute travesty in my world, but I did it for one special reason…today I was going to see the elephants!!
One of the amazing things about KL is that there are such an amazing variety of things going on, all within a close distance of the city. About an hour and a half from downtown is a small town that is actually in the middle of a rainforest like climate. It is the home of the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary!
This elephant sanctuary has been around since the 70’s, when a bunch of guys got together and tried to solve a problem. The problem was that more and more people in Malaysia were taking (rain) forested area and turning it into farmland. Because of this, the elephants that were native to the area were forced into smaller and smaller patches of living space. And because of this, the elephants were trampling farmland and being shot by farmers. Any rogue elephant found ruining farmland was shot on the spot, and this was a tragedy! As the elephants became less and less, these guys decided they had to do something. So, they set up a sanctuary to keep elephants that had been forced out of their natural habitat.
Today, the sanctuary does a number of different things. It goes on-sight to farms where elephants have done damage to track and capture them. After capture, some are moved to the Tanjung Sanctuary (a large protected rainforest), and some come to the Kuala Gandah sanctuary for training. At this sanctuary elephants are trained to help the workers capture rogue elephants out in the field. For example, when the leaders of the sanctuary go to rescue an elephant that would otherwise be shot, they bring one or two of their elephants to calm the elephants and help them with the transfer. I had never realized how smart elephants were, but as I learned more I was truly amazed.
I knew that elephants have been assisting humans for hundreds of years, as evidenced by ancient Asian and Indian cultures that would ride them through forests instead of horses. They have also been used to carry heavy loads and assist in building projects. Little did I know though, that they can do so much more. One of the newer elephants in the sanctuary was a middle aged female who had been recently saved. I was sad to see that unlike the other elephants (who are kept running free in a large natural habitat with a pool and trees and an electric fence all around) her legs were chained together so she couldn’t run fast. I later learned though, that she was one of the smartest elephants around. Somehow she had learned how to break the electric fence with a stick held in her trunk, and had taught the other elephants how to escape this way!
We got to see the approximately 6 elephants that are at the sanctuary now in their home, and then the fun began. Lizanne, Maria, Radar, and I all brought picnic lunches, so we ate them by the bank of the river of the sanctuary. Then at two o’clock, the elephants were brought out for their feeding! We watched them get a hose bath, and then we actually got to feed them!! We were pretty hesitant at first, considering I’ve never gotten to go up and touch an elephant before, but pretty soon we were experts. We started out holding out the watermelon, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and papayas so the elephants could grab them with their trunks. Pretty soon we were using the Malay work for "up" and getting the elephants to lift their trunks, so we could slip the food right into their mouths! It was pretty sticky, but I definitely got licked by a big elephant tongue. We fed them for probably 30 minutes, and then we moved on to the next step.
We got to ride the elephants! I know, this is unbelievable. I can’t tell you how awesome it was! We climbed up a bunch of steps, and Maria and I hopped onto an elephant for a ride around! You actually ride an elephant by sitting right behind his ears, kind of on top of his neck. These Asian elephants are actually closely related to wooly mammoths, so their backs are covered with a prickly hair. We had to grip really tightly with our thighs, because as the elephant’s big hips swayed we thought we would fall off! It was incredible. The last person to ride the elephant was Radar, at which point it took off from the group and actually walked right into the river! It dumped him in the water, and came back for more.
A lot of the people there were hesitant to get wet, so we all got to ride the elephants in the river, and they would eventually tip over and dump us! Maria got sprayed by a lot of water and gravel through the elephant’s trunk – it was so cool. After we rode, we got to go back into the river and play with two of the elephants. We splashed them, and rubbed their backs with sand and scrub brushes. We slapped them all over their bodies to help with circulation. Plus, we climbed on top of their trunks and they lifted us, catapulting us onto their backs. It was fantastic. I can’t really explain how awesome it was, because it was the best ever!!! I have used so many exclamation points!! After that, a normal day of the show is pretty boring!
One of the amazing things about KL is that there are such an amazing variety of things going on, all within a close distance of the city. About an hour and a half from downtown is a small town that is actually in the middle of a rainforest like climate. It is the home of the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary!
This elephant sanctuary has been around since the 70’s, when a bunch of guys got together and tried to solve a problem. The problem was that more and more people in Malaysia were taking (rain) forested area and turning it into farmland. Because of this, the elephants that were native to the area were forced into smaller and smaller patches of living space. And because of this, the elephants were trampling farmland and being shot by farmers. Any rogue elephant found ruining farmland was shot on the spot, and this was a tragedy! As the elephants became less and less, these guys decided they had to do something. So, they set up a sanctuary to keep elephants that had been forced out of their natural habitat.
Today, the sanctuary does a number of different things. It goes on-sight to farms where elephants have done damage to track and capture them. After capture, some are moved to the Tanjung Sanctuary (a large protected rainforest), and some come to the Kuala Gandah sanctuary for training. At this sanctuary elephants are trained to help the workers capture rogue elephants out in the field. For example, when the leaders of the sanctuary go to rescue an elephant that would otherwise be shot, they bring one or two of their elephants to calm the elephants and help them with the transfer. I had never realized how smart elephants were, but as I learned more I was truly amazed.
I knew that elephants have been assisting humans for hundreds of years, as evidenced by ancient Asian and Indian cultures that would ride them through forests instead of horses. They have also been used to carry heavy loads and assist in building projects. Little did I know though, that they can do so much more. One of the newer elephants in the sanctuary was a middle aged female who had been recently saved. I was sad to see that unlike the other elephants (who are kept running free in a large natural habitat with a pool and trees and an electric fence all around) her legs were chained together so she couldn’t run fast. I later learned though, that she was one of the smartest elephants around. Somehow she had learned how to break the electric fence with a stick held in her trunk, and had taught the other elephants how to escape this way!
We got to see the approximately 6 elephants that are at the sanctuary now in their home, and then the fun began. Lizanne, Maria, Radar, and I all brought picnic lunches, so we ate them by the bank of the river of the sanctuary. Then at two o’clock, the elephants were brought out for their feeding! We watched them get a hose bath, and then we actually got to feed them!! We were pretty hesitant at first, considering I’ve never gotten to go up and touch an elephant before, but pretty soon we were experts. We started out holding out the watermelon, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and papayas so the elephants could grab them with their trunks. Pretty soon we were using the Malay work for "up" and getting the elephants to lift their trunks, so we could slip the food right into their mouths! It was pretty sticky, but I definitely got licked by a big elephant tongue. We fed them for probably 30 minutes, and then we moved on to the next step.
We got to ride the elephants! I know, this is unbelievable. I can’t tell you how awesome it was! We climbed up a bunch of steps, and Maria and I hopped onto an elephant for a ride around! You actually ride an elephant by sitting right behind his ears, kind of on top of his neck. These Asian elephants are actually closely related to wooly mammoths, so their backs are covered with a prickly hair. We had to grip really tightly with our thighs, because as the elephant’s big hips swayed we thought we would fall off! It was incredible. The last person to ride the elephant was Radar, at which point it took off from the group and actually walked right into the river! It dumped him in the water, and came back for more.
A lot of the people there were hesitant to get wet, so we all got to ride the elephants in the river, and they would eventually tip over and dump us! Maria got sprayed by a lot of water and gravel through the elephant’s trunk – it was so cool. After we rode, we got to go back into the river and play with two of the elephants. We splashed them, and rubbed their backs with sand and scrub brushes. We slapped them all over their bodies to help with circulation. Plus, we climbed on top of their trunks and they lifted us, catapulting us onto their backs. It was fantastic. I can’t really explain how awesome it was, because it was the best ever!!! I have used so many exclamation points!! After that, a normal day of the show is pretty boring!
posted by Beth at 2:42 AM
3 Comments:
The elephant story was really cool - we want to visit KL there now! Thanks ... DLADK
elephant riding-how cool!! we should have come to Malaysia instead of Tokyo!! we miss you!!
amazing stories!! keep it up. my brothers are in town. they just got back from a huge 8 week south amerian trip. you guys could trade travel stories. i don't know who would win for the craziest, but this stuff is really good. talk to you soon lovie.
-ben
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