Elephants

Today we visited a legitimate, locally run elephant sanctuary. It was an uncomfortable 1.5 hour drive in the back of a tuk-tuk to get there but well worth the effort. The elephants were healthy and the setting was verdant and green. Volunteers (the tourists) help feed, wash and give the elephants 🐘 a post river wash - mud bath. Only one visitor left the river with a leach. Thankfully, it wasn’t Kai or me 🍀.

The visits help support the care of the elephants and provides alternate source of income to the villagers.

The elephants had different preferences and personalities. We were feeding them bananas and watermelon. The baby had a clear preference for watermelon. One of his Aunties would politely take the watermelon from your had and then hurl it in disgust to the ground. Bananas only for her🍌. The only time the elephants were behind the fence was during the feeding. Otherwise we were all together on the grass, in the river, and in the mud!

The fancy tops are loans from the sanctuary. ❤️Читать далее