Mong Dee, mahout, and his elephant friend Sao Yai out for a walk. Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I decided to enter into the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge. This is the photo I chose for the subject ‘Companionable’.
Mong Dee and his elephant friend Sao Yai are great companions, and the love between the two of them is palpable. At 5 foot 2 inches I tower over Mong Dee, one of the smallest men I’ve ever met. And his best friend is a member of the Largest Mammal on Earth Club.
No hooks or other beating implements are allowed at the Elephant Nature Park where these two live – it is a sanctuary in North Thailand where elephants are rescued from unhappy situations and given a beautiful, loving home at the Park, and the elephants are managed with love and positive reinforcement.
I volunteered at this sanctuary in 2012, and I intend to go back this year in September. Volunteering there last year was the most unique and privileged experience of all my travels. Every day I get an update on Facebook from the Park about the elephants and how they are doing, and every day they are in my thoughts. So from my point of view, the elephants of this Park are the companions of my mind. Hence my choice of photo for this particular subject.
Mong Dee keeps bananas at the ready while Sao Yai bathes in ecstacy…
raveburbleblog 
lucky you!
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Yes, lucky me very much!
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I thought photos of dogs and cats are heartwarming already…this is definitely something else! Love the photos, love the story! This simply touch my heart.
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Thank you Aian. The park is jam packed full of beautiful stories, and the people there have fought a long, hard struggle – especially the founder Lek Chailert – to make it what it is today. And they’re not stopping there, they have many plans to help more animals and people in other parts of Thailand and in Cambodia. They absolutely blow me away with their achievements.
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What beautiful pictures you shared, and your writing is terrific! Thank you so much for letting us enjoy your wonderful work. I’ve been privileged to visit ENP three times, once for a two-day overnight visit, and twice for week-long volunteer work. That place enters your heart so quickly, and the work done there by Lek, Jodi, and all of the wonderful mahouts, and the other employees of the Park is truly changing the way Thais and the world view elephants. Thanks for helping get the word out in such a positive way. 🙂
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Thanks very much – glad you enjoyed. 🙂 Aren’t they fantastic? I’ve never been quite so inspired as I have by the folks at ENP. And thank God the elephants have somewhere to go where they can finally have peace.
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