locket479
The Elephant Fiasco
After a few days in the wilderness, with no one around but people who live one with nature, and with no commercialism or pushiness, and with animals that run free and happy, our scheduled elephant trek was less than pleasing. We were shocked back into "the real world" as we climbed up on these amazing animals and rode around on a little trail that showed off their dexterity. We stopped every few minutes and were essentially forced to buy food for our elephant. The man in charge of our elephants (if anyone can be said to be "in charge" of such a large animal) sat on top of his head. Right there, on the biggest brain in the animal kingdom. The guy had a short pole with a hook on the end of it to keep the elephant in line--our guide was "nice" and just used the pole to occasionally konk the big guy on the head, or used the hook to grab over his ear & stear him if necessary. Leah & Andy's elephant was a little more roudy, & their guide was therefore a little more harsh, using the pick part to simply hit the animal in the forehead when he would act out. By the end of the ride, the thick skin on top of his head was dotted with blood. We rode past tired, sweating elephants, elephants chained to little poles in the ground, and big guys that seemed too tired or old to be work horses. We rode all around a little trail that felt all too fixed & commercial, with the sadness of an old fashioned circus that treats its animals like...animals, I guess. And this was supposedly one of the better elephant treks. We all got off in a whirlwind of having returned to the "real world" from the natural world we had so easily adapted to, and to the reminded that tourism is a commercial business, and anyone can try to sell you an experience. You really have to make your own.
The Elephant Fiasco
After a few days in the wilderness, with no one around but people who live one with nature, and with no commercialism or pushiness, and with animals that run free and happy, our scheduled elephant trek was less than pleasing. We were shocked back into "the real world" as we climbed up on these amazing animals and rode around on a little trail that showed off their dexterity. We stopped every few minutes and were essentially forced to buy food for our elephant. The man in charge of our elephants (if anyone can be said to be "in charge" of such a large animal) sat on top of his head. Right there, on the biggest brain in the animal kingdom. The guy had a short pole with a hook on the end of it to keep the elephant in line--our guide was "nice" and just used the pole to occasionally konk the big guy on the head, or used the hook to grab over his ear & stear him if necessary. Leah & Andy's elephant was a little more roudy, & their guide was therefore a little more harsh, using the pick part to simply hit the animal in the forehead when he would act out. By the end of the ride, the thick skin on top of his head was dotted with blood. We rode past tired, sweating elephants, elephants chained to little poles in the ground, and big guys that seemed too tired or old to be work horses. We rode all around a little trail that felt all too fixed & commercial, with the sadness of an old fashioned circus that treats its animals like...animals, I guess. And this was supposedly one of the better elephant treks. We all got off in a whirlwind of having returned to the "real world" from the natural world we had so easily adapted to, and to the reminded that tourism is a commercial business, and anyone can try to sell you an experience. You really have to make your own.