Hi Everyone
Thought I would make up a new post for the park as it seemed to create some interest and is worth its own post I think.
ENP really was a treat. For those who don't want to know too much about ENP don't read on. Spoilers may follow! They picked us up from the YCV in a van with a couple of other people. We went to the local market and helped load the truck with fruit & veg for the elephants. Then we travelled for about an hour up north near the Burmese border. We passed a couple of other elephant parks on the way and although we were excited to see these elephants on the road with the mahouts, the driver and guide were less impressed and we later learnt why.

When we arrived we were greeted by a Melbourne girl Michelle who helps run the park for Lek (owner). The park is a large piece of land with elephants roaming freely. We stepped up on something resembling a tree house where we stayed for some of the day except for when we were washing or walking around the property with the elephants.

I am no poet so it is hard to describe the experience. The elephants are very beautiful and there is a wonderful sense of peace & security in this haven surrounded by misty mountains. There is a small river flowing through the property where you wash and play with the elephants several times during the day. They are massive - especially when you are washing them in the river. The muck around a lot with one another and really are quite happy to be with humans despite their past history.

I have many photos of my husband, 3 + yr old and myself playing with the elephants. There are 30 or so in total - ages ranging from 80yrs to 2-4 months old. There are a couple of babies who tend to charge you so you have to be quick to get out of their way - all in fun of course but no one wants to be trampled by a 300 kg baby elephant. The dogs on the property are all well looked after and have had their shots says Michelle (as I look on in worry as Miss 3 cuddles a big dog) however they tend to get in the way of the elephants and get a kick now and then. Apparently dogs, horses and elephants are not great friends in the wild.

You get to hear some amazing stories about elephants and how Lek set up the park. Her grandfather was a local shaman and she was ostracized by her people following strong advocacy/advertising by an International organization who heard about her cause and wanted to help change the life of elephant in Thailand. The consequences of this was that the Thai people felt they lost face which made life very uncomfortable for her. Her story was banned in Thailand and she received no funding (unlike the Conservation Centre) from the Palace. Apparently her favourite baby elephant was poisoned in retribution by those who felt they had a lot to lose by her attempt to change practices.

Lek comes out every day so you will get a chance to meet this amazing woman. Apparently the tide is turning in Thailand re: the plight of the elephant as Lek made top 6 women of the year last year (forgot which organization - definitatly Time Magazine). The king is starting to take notice and is working with her on some sort of alternative industry for the hillside tribes other than poppies. She is facilitating this process. Truly an amazing woman.

She is on a National Geographic special detailing the long history and tradition of "taming" the elephant which is quite cruel by Western standards. However she does not judge her people and states we must help find another future for elephant in Thailand rather than logging. Tourism is not so bad necessarily as they must make some sort of contribution to the country - it is the paradigm shift needed in the taming and training of the elephant that she is advocating for.

They put on a spectacular lunch (after you feed the elephants otherwise they would probably push down the tree house) and take great care of each individual during the day. The amenities are fairly basic but it is clean and well maintained. Our daughter did not get sick at all after the event despite the fact that she was tumbling about in the river (which was clean and freely running) with the elephants.

I truly hope you get an opportunity to visit this magnificent property and spend the day or more with the elephant. Although the stories were sad at times, the way the elephants have recovered and created a new life for themselves is truly fabulous to see. One elephant (who miscarried whilst logging) is the guide for another blinded elephant; she has also adopted a baby elephant who lost its mother (tourist trade). She has her hands full and we reckon she probably regrets her choice of being a mum as the baby is a naughty handful at best. We will never forget this experience.

I hope I have justice to the ENP and not given away too many spoilers. There are many many more things that you will just have to go there & see.
Cheers
Dy

Goodness, I just looked at the website and saw Lek received an honourary Phd early April from the Crown Prince for her conservation work. Hope this helps with the funding.

great report....hope she gets better marks than the crown prince...

Hi DeeElle,

Thank you for posting this. It sounds like you had a fantastic experience there.

Although I had looked at Lek's site before my trip, in the end I opted to go to the Elephant Conservation Centre and to the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital at Lampang, when I was in the area last year. Now, I really want to go to the Elephant Nature Park when I next visit Northern Thailand.

You might be interested to listen to this radio programme which I heard the other day on the plight of the working elephant all over Asia, and particularly in Thailand where 60% of former working elephants are now used in tourism.

Unfortunately, this listen again facility is only available for a week from broadcast which was last Tuesday - the 25th April.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/pip/1767e/

DeeElle - What a great report. I am currently trying to make reservations for March of next year. Do you have any pictures to share of the experience? Did your 3 year old get bored at all with the talking? I will be traveling with our two 5 year olds. Were you there for a day or longer? Thanks, Heather

I too want to thank you DeeElle for your report. It helps me alot because I really want to spend some time with the elephants and actually had thought the ENP sounded the best. I also would like to know how long you stayed for - if it was just the day trip was it enough time? Would 2 days one night be enough or a longer stay? And a final questio - how far in advance do think reservations are necessary?

Thanks DeeElle.. my husband and I have booked a day with the elephants at the ENP for next month and your report has gotten me terribly excited!! One of my coworkers met Lek a few years back and still can't stop talking about this amazing woman and the work she is doing.. he still plans to go back and spend more time at the part volunteering.. thanks very much for your post..

Me again - one more question - you said that you played with the elephants in the river while washing them but did you get to ride the elephants there? I reeeeeeally want to ride an elephant.

Apologies for such a late reply to your questions. I've been rather busy the last few years lol. Unforgivable I know. Yes I have plenty of pictures which I will ad to the post. My daughter did not get bored at all ... there were lots of places for her to play and the hosts were great with her. We were only there for the day but plenty of other westerners were staying for weeks on end .. some of them in their mid 60's. There were some rich American kids who came along later in the day .. I think the school sent them to the ENP to appreciate nature. Most of them got into the theme after a while but you could tell it was a hard effort for them lol.

Thanks for your report. Will you be posting any of those photos you took?

yes I'd love to once I find out how to post a pic!!