TIO Thailand: Elephants & Tigers, Oh My!

05 Nov TIO Thailand: Elephants & Tigers, Oh My!

Maesa Elephant Camp:

Well-intentioned people will wag their index finger in your general direction when you tell them you are heading to a place like the Maesa Elephant Camp, which is southeast of Chiang Dao. They will say if you REALLY care about elephants, head for Elephant Nature Park in the Mae Taeng Valley, home to dozens of rescued elephants. And while it is true that founder Lek Challert has received international recognition for her efforts which have saved hundreds, if not thousands of Asian elephants, an endangered species, you may not have a day (or days) to work as a volunteer at the camp. And a willingness to work with the elephants is the only way you can visit.

Cabbages & Condoms is a chain of inn and hotel complexes whose patrons help fund a well-respected nonprofit ( of the same name) that promotes sex education and helps members of the minority hill tribes. A sign just outside the Hill Tribe Handicraft Store had a whole different message to put out about places like the Maesa Elephant Camp.

Not patronizing these parks, the sign says, because you believe the purists who think elephants should not be made to paint or play soccer, hurts not only the elephants, but also their mahouts. The alternative could mean elephants wind up working in Bangkok or other unnatural environments, where they are often hurt and have to be put down. The mahouts could end up at best laboring on a farm for pennies, or worse, on the streets.

Baby Elephant Painting

Our guide Nat Poj told us Maesa Elephant Camp has an outstanding reputation. – and we have learned to believe everything our leader tells us – so off we went.

The camp, which flanks a river in a lush tropical valley, is just 20 minutes from downtown Chiang Mai. Open since 1976, Maesa, now home to about 80 pachyderms, has taken a leadership position in the field of elephant breeding, training, healthcare (including nutrition – the place grows special grasses and herbs for its animals – and sustainable tourism.

An elephant parade opened the show. And yes, we applauded as they played soccer. Ditto when they burst balloons with darts.

And some did paint.

But not all.

Only the ones who showed an interest and aptitude as babies.

And unlike the real deal, with pachyderm Picassos, no need to lock up your daughters.

Tiger Kingdom:

Let Sleeping Tigers Lie

Like elephants, tigers are on Thailand’s endangered list: 10 percent of the country’s 405 species of amphibians and reptiles are in jeopardy and almost all of Thailand’s large mammals.

The increasing demand for dried tiger parts in traditional Chinese medicine means that today only few thousands tigers remain on the planet. Of these, about 500 are estimated to be living in Thailand, some at the Tiger Kingdom in the Mae Sa area north of Chiang Mai.

Our next stop, the Tiger Kingdom, raises funds to help protect and preserve the species by charging relatively high fees for guests to spend time (about 15 minutes) in the cage with either little babies two to three months old, small tigers (four to eight months old) or the big boys (12 to 15 months). After 15 months and certainly by age two, handlers explained, tigers become extremely aggressive and are off limits. Some of them are sent off to zoos; other remain at the camp to breed.

The pass we bought allowed us to hang out with the littlest cats. But even with the babies, who are about as intimidating as Steiff toys, there are dos and don’ts.

Bringing the outside world with its contamination into the enclosure is not ok. Visitors must wash their hands and remove their shoes before coming into contact with the animals. Once inside, the rules of the game are all about your protection: approach the animals from behind, never from the front like aggressors. Never ever pat their heads: heads (and face) are apparently tigers’ hot zone. Even the babies will bite. These are potential killers. Not kittens.

Stroking the tiger’s silky fur, you will be the one to purr.

Queen Sirikrit Botanic Garden:

We ended the day with a stop in the the foothills of Doi Suthep-Pui, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai Province at the Queen Sirikrit Botanical Gardens.

The site, established in 1994, covers about 1,000 hectares or 2500 acres and dedicated to the study of Thailand’s green heritage, biodiversity in general, and conservation techniques.

Exotic animals.

Diverse species of plants.

The agenda is the same. In Thailand it’s all about the protection and preservation of a fragile ecosystem.

Note: To book Nat, email natpoj@gmail.com or call 085-7078216 or from the U.S., 011-66-85-70781216.