March 13, 2006
Toronto Star
By Janie Robinson and Brian Quinn

Original Article

When most logging work dried up, the elephants of this Southeast Asian country were cast aside, until `Lek' stepped in to help

BRIAN QUINN PHOTO
It's all fun, but also deeply rewarding `work' for volunteers - many of them Canadians - who are helping concerned locals give a humane new life to Thailand's threatened population of domestic Asian elephants at the Chiang Mail Elephant Nature Park.

Chiang Mai, Thailand —Canadian Jeff Smith doesn't seem to notice the massive Asian elephants ambling past the construction site as he continues what looks like a game of charades with his Thai work crew.

"I'm learning more and more Thai every day," says the 26-year-old engineer/project manager of Elephant Nature Park north of Chiang Mai, Thailand. "But I'm never sure if their nodding heads and smiles mean they understand me and my hand gestures until I see what they've actually built."

The former Junior Canadian ice dance champion has traded in his skates for a degree in environmental engineering and the challenges of working in the wilds of northern Thailand. "If you think me talking about building plans with these guys looks funny, you should see their faces when I try to explain figure skating to them," Smith says with a laugh. The Orillia, Ont., native spent many years training at Barrie's Mariposa School of Skating.

"I wanted to do some environmental volunteering while my friend and I were backpacking through Southeast Asia," explains the University of Waterloo grad. "I came to Elephant Nature Park to volunteer for a couple of weeks and loved it so much I ended up staying for three months."

A 386-hectare reserve located 56 kilometres north of Chiang Mai, Elephant Nature Park is dedicated to the conservation and care of Thailand's threatened population of domestic Asian elephants. Even though these majestic animals are revered in Thailand, their future here could be grim. There were 100,000 elephants a century ago, 25,000 a decade ago and today, only 5,000 elephants survive in Thailand, an overall decline of 95 per cent.

Logging was banned in 1989, putting most of Thailand's domestic elephants out of work. Tourism has now taken over as the main employer; at tourist trekking camps in northern Thailand, in circus-like shows, and panhandling in city streets where tourists pay to feed the elephants bananas.

Elephant Nature Park offers a rare alternative to such tourist fare, giving visitors a more natural, humane experience, including feeding and bathing this growing family of "saved" domestic elephants. As well, there is the opportunity to interact with these amazing animals as they wander freely in open fields, through hilly jungle-like forests and splash along winding rivers.

Elephant Nature Park's founder and director Sangduen Chailert, known as "Lek" (which mean "little one" in Thai), leads the growing movement for more humane treatment of elephants in Thailand.

"We need very quickly to educate people and do something to save these beautiful creatures,'' says the country's one-woman humane society. "Without elephants Thailand is like an empty country. I will work to help elephants until I die... I will never stop!"

Recently voted Time magazine's 2005 Asia Hero of the Year in the activist category, this petite Thai woman continues to fight big battles for the giant charges she has rescued over the past 10 years, bringing them to live in the natural sanctuary of Elephant Nature Park.

Blind elephant Jokia was adopted by Lek in 1999. Jokia had stopped working, after suffering a miscarriage while dragging heavy timber loads up steep hills at an illegal lumber camp. Then, in an attempt to get her working again, she was blinded by slingshots and arrows.

Hope was just six days old when Lek came to his rescue. A farmer had killed Hope's mother, and the orphaned baby was discovered near death three days later. Now a big, boisterous 5-year-old, Hope is another living testament to Lek's loving, training and life-long commitment to Thailand's elephants.

Lek hopes that giving visitors and volunteers some quality time with Hope, Jokia and the rest of her rescued herd at Elephant Nature Park will encourage tourism to evolve toward this kind of more natural experience.

"I can't keep up," says Canadian Cally Ashby, hand-feeding a massive white elephant named Mae Boom Ma, who wraps her trunk around the cucumbers and pops them into her mouth faster than the Port Hope woman can hand them to her. Bananas, watermelon and squash are also on the lunch menu (just a fraction of the 225 kg of forage these elephants will eat on average per day).

After lunch, it's down to the river for a bath and splash with these massive creatures, obviously in their element. Cally and her friends, 23-year-old Port Hope twins Rosie and Evelyn Dell get almost as wet as the elephants, thanks to the playful splashing of both the elephants and their mischievous mahouts (elephant trainers).

The two baby elephants Tong Jan and Kanoon make short work of their bath, spraying sand on themselves (and everyone in the general vicinity) before heading off with the rest of the herd and park guests for the daily walk in the park.

While day visitors head back for the hour-long journey to Chiang Mai, weekly volunteers settle in for a tasty Thai buffet dinner and surprisingly comfortable sleep on the mosquito-netted mattress situated on the floor of the rustic sleeping huts.

"Volunteers can be as busy or relaxed as they choose," park host Michelle Cullen tells us. "Jobs vary from bathing and feeding elephants to helping with their basic health care. One of our conservation projects involves tying holy Buddhist cloth on trees throughout the rain forest, protecting them from cutting (according to a Thai religious belief). Or you can always help with building and maintenance around the park."

Ottawa's Megan Ironside has spent much of her volunteer time teaching English to eager mahouts, while learning about local and tribal lifestyles and culture. "I've been a volunteer at Elephant Nature Park for five weeks and I hope to come back here in October on my honeymoon," the 27-year-old tells us.

One of the highlights of the volunteer program is an overnight adventure at a sanctuary known as Elephant Haven — hiking high through the rainforest as the elephants head to their mountain-top retreat. With our sleeping bags spread over grass mats and wrapped in mosquito nets in the bamboo hut, we relax around a campfire under the stars. The elephants' bells chime in the distance as the contented creatures enjoy their night of freedom in this hilltop haven.

Early the next morning, we help the mahouts round up any errant elephants for the hike back to the park. Considering their size, it can be surprisingly tricky to spot these massive creatures in the dense rain forest. One of them, mischievous Jungle Boy, knows tricks like how to plug his elephant bell with mud and sticks to stop it from ringing and giving him away.

After just a few fascinating days as volunteers at Elephant Nature Park, it's easy to see why Smith has returned to Chiang Mai to continue the environmental engineering work he started as a volunteer.

"I feel like I can really make a difference here. It's great to be able to use my university degree and be so involved in all aspects of a project," Smith explains of his role, overseeing everything from water resource management to building design and construction, volunteer recruitment and administrative work alongside park founder, Lek.

"When things aren't going right on the building site or at the office, I just take an hour and hang out with one of the elephants, " Smith says. "It's the best therapy you could ever have."

For more on the visitor and volunteer programs at Elephant Nature Park visit http://www.elephantnaturepark.org