Elephant camp bringing change through education
I’ve just been on a date with a hot-blooded 29-year-old. Her name was Lanna. We'd only just been introduced, but we had an instant connection. We trekked through the dense northern jungle for what seemed like hours, stopping only occasionally to pull down a tree branch or nibble a few stalks of freshly snatched bamboo.
Indeed, my date was an Asian elephant.
But while our friendship may have been brief, it’s had a lasting effect on me.
Reading up on Thailand before my trip, I found dozens of tales focusing on the poor treatment of elephants. But one camp stood out from the pack as a place where elephants were put first, where the health and wellbeing of the animals was the absolute priority. That place was Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort. Located in the far north of Thailand, it’s akin to an elephant paradise.
In this part of Thailand, life tends to move a little slower. Anantara Golden Triangle is situated around 60km north of Chiang Rai, perched on a ridge overlooking the hills of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. As if that geographical trio wasn’t enticing enough, it also overlooks the convergence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers.
Opened in 2003, the property is the flagship of the Anantara brand and one of the highest rated hotels in the region. Peaceful, private and incredibly beautiful, it’s set in one of the most stunning locations you could imagine. It was here I was given the chance to take part in elephant mahout training, an experience I’ll never forget.
My first day at the resort started with a bang when a young Asian elephant named Taengmo (Watermelon in Thai) stopped by the hotel restaurant for some breakfast. Her cheeky personality instantly had everyone entranced. Once she’d eaten her fill of bananas, and thoroughly checked the basket and guest’s hands to ensure none that had escaped her sight, she made her way back to the elephant camp.
Anantara Golden Triangle works alongside the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF), a not-for-profit that believes all elephants should be wild. Sadly we all know this is not the reality. Until the day that is possible, GTAEF focuses on assisting captive elephants, improving their lives and welfare, and taking part in conservation and wild elephant programs to ensure the survival of the wild herd.
What I found most interesting about GTAEF and the Anantara camp was how the elephant owners, or mahouts, are encouraged to stay. Rather than buying elephants, which would only encourage the illegal animal trade, the camp instead rents an elephant from it’s mahout, providing fodder, a forest environment, and shelter, as well as veterinary care for the elephant. As part of the deal, they also provide food, health care, accommodation, and insurance for the mahouts and their families.
The rescued elephants, which were often begging on the streets or working in the illegal logging trade, are exceptionally well cared for. According to resort staff, the elephants only interact with guests 2 hours per day max. The rest of the time they’re allowed to be elephants - trekking through jungle and doing as they please.
Lanna, my partner in crime for the training session, and her mahout Mark share a close bond. You can see he genuinely cares for the animal. He told me they had been together for 10 years. After a brief training session in which we learned how to mount and direct our elephant companions, even though the likelihood of them going where we wanted was pretty slim, we headed out for the slow trek.
The skin on Lanna’s head and neck was rough to the touch, the texture of an old leather jacket, and her thick black hair felt like the bristles of a well-worn scrubbing brush. Elephants generally have very thick skin, often 2.5cm thick on the head and back. Her ears were much softer in comparison, the skin nowhere near as thick.
Our small convoy trekked through the parklike grounds of the resort, stopping regularly for the animals to grab leaves with their trunks. Asian elephants eat up to 200kg of food per day, so they were constantly snacking. Lanna was fond of the bamboo I’d snatch for her. She had almost a sixth sense, somehow knowing what was in my hand and reaching back with her trunk to take it from me.
A short way down the track was the experience everyone had been talking about – the swim. We wandered up to a small lake, its muddy water brimming with fish, and one by one entered the water on the backs of our elephants. It was here the cheeky personalities of the elephants really came out, with some sucking water in to blow at the mahouts and residents like water cannons.
After this brief rest stop, we continued our journey through the resort grounds, past the rice field, into the mahout’s camp, and ultimately back to the resort entrance.
One of the amusing stories I heard during the trek was how the elephants have been known to wander across the border to Myanmar and into the grounds of a nearby casino in the dry season - the grass is always greener on the other side. When the resort is notified by casino staff – ‘Your elephants are here again, please come and collect them.’ – staff must go through the immigration process to cross the border and collect the errant escapees. It’s a time consuming process, and often by the time staff are across the border the elephants have just wandered back home.
As I dismounted from my elephant for the final time, I had mixed emotions. Part of me was honoured to have had this amazing experience, yet another wished elephant camps weren’t needed to protect these great creatures from exploitation. I’m glad this one does however, as it’s only through education that things will change.
Millions of travellers come to Thailand each year hoping to have their own Asian elephant experience, with many of them giving their money to organisations that don’t treat elephants with care. It’s only through education and awareness that the situation will get better. Through awareness you, your family, and your friends can make an informed decision about which sort of elephant attraction to visit, and what sort of interaction you choose to have with elephants in Thailand and SE Asia.
Learn more about Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort
Learn more about Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation
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About Chris Ashton
Chris Ashton is a curious traveller always on the lookout for the new, bizarre and unusual. A fan of exploring ancient ruins, diving with sharks and getting lost in city streets, he believes travel expands your horizons and helps shape the person you want to become.
Website: Repeat Traveller
Twitter: @chrisjashton
Instagram: @chrisjashton
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