I’ve always loved the look of buffalo – magnificent beasties. I finally got my chance to get some decent photos of them at Elephant Nature Park this year. Most of them were taken on zoom, so no sludge-boulders were disturbed during this filming. They did take a good look at me for a little while, then went back to the business of applying their mud packs.
Just a series of photos I took of one of the Park dogs hunting goodness-knows-what in the grass while we worked nearby. The ‘Platform Dogs’ – ones that roam freely around the Park – often follow the volunteer groups around and lie down or play nearby. It was such a nice setting on this morning – early morning sun, green grass, dragonflies flitting by – that I had to capture this little moment in Paradise on camera.
If you happen to volunteer at the dog shelter at Elephant Nature Park, beware. There is a very dangerous animal here, aptly named Steel. I say aptly because she is a dog of tremendous determination, an animal with a Will Of Steel and she will snatch your heart and not give it back. If she happens to be in your vicinity, do not, I repeat, DO NOT look into her eyes. Because this will happen:
Scratch my neck. Gowonnnn, you know you want to…
You looked, didn’t you? I warned you… Continue reading
Some photos of some of the beautiful dog critters at Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai. After volunteering with the elephants for a week, we volunteered for another week at the dog shelter. Here are some of the new friends we made: Continue reading
A fantastic write-up, with photos, about Elephant Nature Park and one person’s experience there.
One more sleep then we’re off to Thailand. I’ve found I’ve been somewhat anxious over the last week or two. This is what I’ve been doing:
A new baby was born at the park yesterday. Have a look at this video and check out the excitement of the aunties. This is the third baby born here in the last few months – they’re absolutely beside themselves!!
Try having one of these very close to your own…
A Big Thank You to these business in our lil’ town in New Zealand:
Whangamata Veterinary Hospital for their kind donations of supplies for us to take to Elephant Nature Park for their animals.
Sunny’s, Whangamata, for their donations of pencils and T-shirts for us to take to the free school for Cambodian kids that ENP is developing at the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary.
And Whangamata Library for donating books for the kids also.
Big smiles and thanks to all of you – I know this stuff is going to be really appreciated at the other end. 🙂
Mong Dee keeps bananas at the ready while Sao Yai bathes in ecstacy…
Luckily, elephants are vegetarians. One of the Park residents, Pom, giving an ele a treat.
My partner and I are off to North Thailand in three weeks to work with elephants. Specifically the ones at Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, North Thailand. Large, grey proboscis-laden pachyderms banana-hoovers abound there, as well as many rescued dogs, cats, buffalo, cows, chickens and assorted other beasties. They’ve had 2 baby elephants since I was there last year – Navann and Dok Mai. Will I be able to resist hanging around them like a tween at a Bieber concert? Probably not. Will I be able to stop myself from trying to sneak one home in my luggage? Well, that would be a yes, because we only have a 30kg luggage allowance, and I’m pretty sure even a baby banana-hoover weights more than 30kg. Will I be able to avoid snakes, spiders and leech attacks? That remains to be seen. Last time I was in Thailand, it wasn’t out in the jungle I came close to having a snake-related cardiac arrest, it was in a town where I was innocently waiting to cross the road and one fell out of the power lines beside me! Very funny God! Read that story here. Read about the Giant Killer-Leech Attack here.
And so, the preparation begins: Continue reading
Lek Chailert, founder of Elephant Nature Park – she gets to many places and helps many other beings. An awesome woman!
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