The
elephant in Thailand is a sacred animal, and yet, so many live in awful
circumstances. For a foreigner, elephants are a mystical animal, seen from
afar in zoos and there is no opportunity to touch one, or even look deeply
into those large brown eyes. My first encounter with Thai elephants was in
1975, driving along Sukhumvit Road and seeing an elephant walking along the
grass verge on the other side. U-turns never seem to be frequent and it was
about 10 minutes before I could turn round and hasten back to the area where
I had seen ‘my’ elephant. I was awed. It was amused and showed me a
repertoire of tricks. From that day on, elephants were special to me as
well.
I saw this latest book Elephants Living in Sanctuary
(ISBN 978-974-04-1799-6, Elephant Nature Park, second edition 2009) on the
shelves at Bookazine and I was immediately attracted. The cover photograph
of the interaction between the two elephants bathing is just so appealing, I
had to take it for review.
The sanctuary referred to in the title is the Elephant
Nature Park (www.elephantnaturef oundation.org) which is run and was
founded 17 years ago by a small Thai lady Sangduen (Lek) Chailert. The park
was created to look after the elephants, with the pachyderm population
becoming smaller every year as mankind has encroached upon their natural
habitat. In her own words, Lek states, “My grandfather had an elephant to
help him with farming chores. Thongkhum (golden one) was his name and he was
like a member of the family. I’ve loved them ever since. Their keen family
bonds, individual personalities and kindness are only part of the reason. It
takes a stone heart for those lucky enough to work with elephants not to
love them. I’d like you to come to see my elephants. You’ll see for yourself
then.”
When asked what inspired her to start the elephant
project, she said, “I had been helping owners of other small camps to find
unemployed elephants (ex logging). During this time I saw the poor
conditions that they lived under, the cruelty and suffering and felt I could
provide a better place for them. This was one of the main reasons why
Elephant Nature Park came into existence.”
Lek Chailert has taken the photographs for this book, and
they are excellent, technically as well as showing the nature of these
animals. Their play and interaction is fascinating, and the book introduces
the reader to many of the animals in the park, and explains a little of
their background, and how they were treated before coming to the sanctuary.
In some cases, the elephants had been frightfully abused, with one having
been blinded by a resentful mahout, for whom the elephant refused to work.
The book is hard cover, with glossy full-bleed
photographs and comprehensive descriptions with each illustrative plate. It
is a book you will enjoy to thumb through many, many times. A book you will
show your grandchildren, and at B. 1,200 is an inexpensive literary
reference book. The proceeds go towards maintenance of the elephants.
