Elephant Encounters

The next day, we went to the famous Mae Sa Elephant Camp, located in a lush, tropical jungle in Mae Rim, around half-an-hour from Chiang Mai, where the largest assembly of elephants in northern Thailand lives side-by-side with their mahouts (elephant caretakers).

We watched a very endearing elephant show. The star performers, the elephants, paraded, “danced,” and played music. If this was not enough to impress us, they also showcased other talents such as painting (not just swishing a paint brush to change the color of a tablet, but the actual creation of a piece of art work…and I must say, some of them can paint better than me), playing soccer, shooting darts (and hitting the target), and picking-up sticks. They also did a logging demonstration and showed us how they massage their mahouts using their trunks. Amazing!

Elephants are smart creatures and they have a very good memory, thus capable of quick learning. They are also fiercely devoted to their mahouts.

We got the chance to play mahouts for the day. We fed the elephants (we bought bananas to give out to them, and boy, were they ever thrilled), helped bathe them in the river (if a couple of circular strokes on their backs pass for “helping”), and massaged them.

As a reward, we were treated to elephant rides around a short path in the forest. But even better was the photo session that came next. We each had a choice on how we wanted our pictures taken with the elephants – from posing beside them, to being on their backs, to letting the elephants lift you. Of course, I had to choose the craziest pose! It’s not like I could do this every day or see elephants in my backyard all the time…so why not!

I had a picture of me being carried mid-air by an elephant, his long trunk coiled around my body and his front right leg lifted up in a graceful pose. He was such a pro! And because I was the only one in the group who agreed to do this, the mahout let me have another picture…another crazy pose, of course. He had me sitting on two intertwined elephants’ trunks, like I was dangling on a swing. It was so much fun!

But on the more serious side of things, I am happy to announce that the Mae Sa Elephant Camp has transitioned toward a more conservation-focused approach. Instead of offering educational and fun hands-on experiences to tourists, they merged with the Thai Elephant Care Center next door that was housing rescued and elderly elephants to do a massive rebrand. They continue to welcome visitors, but as they had decided to retire all the elephants from work, interaction with them is now limited to photo ops and harmless elephant encounters (i.e., no more bathing, riding, or performances) for a small fee.

To reflect this change, the care centre is now called, The Chang (chang means “elephant” in Thai), which denotes the focus on the elephants themselves, and the whole property is now known as Mae Sa Elephant Conservation Park.

This is a welcome move to the right direction, in terms or animal protection and compassion. What was once an old-style elephant entertainment center is now a genuine elephant-friendly sanctuary, where the animals can just be themselves and where visitors can engage with them ethically.