When teacher and student connect, the elephants benefit! EAI’s Elephant Foot Care Workshop at Tiger Tops Elephant Camp is proving to be an amazing experience for all
Herds of wild elephants grazing peacefully in the vast grasslands of India.
57 DAYS UNTIL CLOSING! The ERNA land and the surrounding climate are tailor-made for elephants, ensuring that each elephant who calls ERNA home will thrive.
Researchers have found that elephants are highly intelligent and capable of many human-like emotions, such as happiness, sorrow and even empathy.
Beautiful Jon taking a refreshing dip in the water.
“The pure joy an elephant exhibits when given a resemblance of freedom is what drives me to do more.” – Carol Buckley
Earlier this year, Terra Mater Magazine, Austria’s equivalent to National Geographic, sent a writer and photographer to cover Carol’s work in Nepal. Read the article in English or the original German (even if you don’t read German, you may want to look at the wonderful photos).Many of the elephants used for elephant back safaris suffer from severe nail splits.
Carol and a team of volunteers began EAI’s bi-annual foot trimming in Sauraha this morning. The mahouts’ trimming skill level is measurably improved.
As of yesterday, the Elephant Refuge North America (ERNA) fundraising total is at $871,565.39. Your donations will help make this elephant paradise a reality!
Carol visiting with her Nepali family in Sauraha. From left to right: nanu (a term of endearment for a little girl), Shanti, Raju, Carol and Paspat (who is the elephant supervisor of National Trust for Nature Conservation).
Carol boarding the plane from Kathmandu to Bharatpur on the way to foot trimming in Chitwan.
“Nature’s great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.” — John Donne. But in today’s world, in response to the stress humans place on elephants in the wild and in captivity, elephants act out in ways contrary to their majestic nature.
The Elephant Refuge North America (ERNA) land is an elephant paradise, featuring 850 acres of pastures, lakes, and forests.
And did you know that:
Over the last 6 years, EAI has freed 106 captive-held elephants from chains in Nepal, Thailand and India.
EAI designed and built the first solar powered chain-free corral in Asia.
Elephant Aid International sincerely appreciates a generous grant from the DJ&T Foundation in support of our The Lambodhar Prasad Project: Freeing Nepal’s Chain Gang. DJ&T founder Bob Barker is known for his philanthropy on behalf of animals; EAI is delighted to have the foundation’s support for this revolutionary project.
After nearly two years of preparation and numerous setbacks our chain-free corral project In Thailand is scheduled to begin July 12th.
In October 2013, I visited two sites–Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) and Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES)–to map areas for chain-free corrals. The corral locations were identified and construction plans laid out. Everyone was excited about giving their well-cared-for elephants more autonomy and physical freedom within a safe and secure jungle environment.
This is when things became challenging.
I soon learned that Thailand did not have a supplier for the materials we use for solar powered chain-free corrals. The closest supplier was IBEX Galleger in India. All materials would have to be shipped from India via the wholesaler in New Zealand.
Stopped at the border
The plan was to build the corrals last October.
I monitored the progress of the materials shipment from my US office. The Indian fence crew would fly to Thailand to oversee the arrival of materials, while the staff at BLES stood by, ready to receive the delivery. Partners in three countries experienced a great deal of anticipatory anxiety.
As soon as the materials arrived from New Zealand, they were transported from Bengaluru, India, to the coast and loaded onto a cargo ship, which crossed the Bay of Bengal and docked in Bangkok, Thailand. They cleared customs without a hitch.
This is when we hit a major snag.
The Indian crew was supposed to receive the delivery in order to avoid a hefty unloading and storage fee.
But the crew was stopped at Thai immigration to verify their residence while in Thailand.
BLES’s phone and internet were not working so there was no way for Thai immigration to verify the crew’s destination. Emails flew back and forth among continents, to no avail. We couldn’t reach BLES.
After a couple of hours, Thai immigration refused the crew entry and sent them back to India.
Unfortunately, the project had already exceeded the estimated cost even before the materials were loaded onto the cargo ship. This latest development didn’t help. At this point, the costs threatened to skyrocket.
Everything falls into place
Thanks to this experience, the Indian crew was afraid to return to Thailand.
I set out to find qualified installers in Thailand. No luck. No one in Thailand wanted to take on the job, as they were unfamiliar with the corral system.
After weeks of searching, I decided to try to convince the Indian crew to try again. They were leery, so it took months to finally convince them. By the time they finally agreed, they were working on a new project in India, and unavailable to return to Thailand until later this year.
But here we are, several months later, heading to Thailand once again.
We don’t have to worry about the materials–they are safely stored at BLES.
Pre-construction is already underway at FAE and they are clearing the fence line as we speak. It will be cleared and ready for my arrival on July 12.
The plan is to get all the corner posts set at both FAE and BLES before the fence crew arrives on the 18th.
All we have to worry about is getting the crew into Thailand. This time I plan to be standing outside immigration at the airport with a working cell number, ready to handle any problems that might arise.
This project has been a serious challenge but I have no doubt that it will be well worth every bit of frustration and anxiety when we see the elephants released into their new chain-free corrals.
Thank you for helping us create the first solar powered chain-free corrals at Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary and Friends of the Elephant Hospital in Thailand.
Caring for male elephants in captivity is a challenge at best.
Attempts to provide a quality of life within the parameters dictated by their captivity produce poor results. Their size, natural tendency toward dominance and drive to breed, combined with their innate wildness, is a recipe for disaster in a captive situation.
Males are especially dangerous when they are in musth, a natural biological function when testosterone levels increase. During their annual musth season, captive-held males become too aggressive to approach and stop responding to their mahouts.
EAI respects the true nature of each elephant and would prefer that no elephant live in captivity. But elephants whose lives are forever altered by captivity need our help.
Lambodhar Prasad: In musth, out of water
We were building chain-free corrals when Lambodhar Prasad came into musth. He was unapproachable. His front wrists were chained together, secured to a large wooden timber that was buried 10 feet deep to prevent his escape. He had no shelter from the hot sun, the seasonal storms that pellet him with golf ball-size hail or the frightening earthquake that devastated entire villages in Nepal earlier this month.
And he had no access to water to drink unless the mahouts brought it to him.
Because of his aggressive state, mahouts could not get close enough to Lambodhar Prasad to give him water, which concerned them and made them anxious to find a solution. Their only option was to offer Lambodhar Prasad water in a large metal cooking pot.
Out of trunk’s reach, several mahouts struggled to push the heavy pot close to Lambodhar Prasad with a long bamboo pole. A thick handmade rope was tied to one handle of the pot in order to pull it back, out of Lambohdar Prasad’s reach, after he finished drinking.
But things did not go as planned. Lambodhar Prasad was irritable, not in a mood to cooperate. He grabbed the pot with his trunk and before the mahouts could yank it away, he crushed it under his foot.
The mahouts were out of ideas and had no resources to solve the problem, so they came to EAI for help.
A simple solution
An immediate solution was devised, simple but effective.
EAI volunteers headed to town to buy a replacement cooking pot/water dish. We purchased an electric water pump and water hose and hired a plumber to hook it up to the existing well where the mahouts bathe and wash their cloths and dishes. The Chitwan National Parks Department provided a large water storage tank as a back-up for when the electricity is out, which in Nepal is more often then not.
While the plumber was installing the pump, connecting the water hose and setting up the water tank, the mahouts wasted no time wiring the pump at a nearby building.
There are no inspections required or codes for electric and plumbing work at the hattisar. You just do it!
In a couple of hours our solution was up and running. The mahouts were relieved and excited about the prospect of being able to water Lambodhar Prasad and give him a bathe as well.
Then came the moment to test out the new watering system.
As suggested, the mahouts filled the water pot before maneuvering it in front of Lambodhar Prasad. He was seriously thirsty and drank hurriedly for several minutes. But as he quenched his thirst, his drive for dominance surfaced.
The muscles in his face tightened as he grabbed for the pot in an act of defiance. The mahouts recognized his attitude shift and pulled the pot out of his reach. The pot lived to provide water for another day.
Every effort in Nepal is unnecessarily difficult due to limited or nonexistent resources, expertise and motivation. Generations of mahouts have grown to believe that nothing can or will be done to make their job easier or the lives of the elephants in their care better. They have stopped asking for help, or perhaps they never started.
But now, because you, our supporters, have enabled EAI to offer new resources, options and solutions, the mahouts know that there are people who truly care about them and the welfare of their elephants. They have begun to ask for help. They have begun to believe that when they ask, their concerns will be heard and their need for assistance will be answered.
The most encouraging shift we have observed is that mahouts are beginning to speak up for their elephants. Improvements in elephant welfare can be encouraged from the outside but true sustainability comes from within. The mahouts are the key to improved elephant welfare in Nepal.
Chitwan National Park’s annual rhino count is underway.
50 government elephants, from all over Nepal, take part in the survey. Elephants and their mahouts fan out through the jungle, covering Chitwan National Park from east to west. This is the most effective way to gain an accurate count of the rhino population in the park.
The elephants benefit because they spend a couple of weeks inside the jungle, day and night. Being immersed in their natural habitat is rejuvenating.
In preparation for the count, the elephants gather at two central hattisars–Khorsor and Sauraha, the two hattisars where we completed our chain free corrals last week.
Four boarders arrived at Khorsor yesterday. The scene was mesmerizing. Thanks to our chain-free corrals, families were reunited.
Simsar Kali and her mother were as one, floating peacefully, side by side, chain free. Tumor Kali was also with them, a threesome of chain-free compatibility.
Young Amaltari Gaj was also in elephant heaven. He and his mother grazed peacefully, chain free, a tearful reunion of joy.
Change is happening!
Below: Mom, daughter and a friend reunited when mom visited from another hattisar.
This release was a surprise to all of us and the reason we build a chain-free corral for each elephant, even if we are told the elephant will remain on chains.
You just never know what will happen tomorrow. Changing minds, changing culture!
Yesterday was a day of celebration for EAI and all who support our work. In addition to the work over the past year and a half, culminating in the release of tens of elephant from chains, it was the day you could actually feel the consciousness at the Khorsor hattisar shift.
Without prompting, Puja Kali’s mahouts released her from chains.
Earlier in the week, mahouts insisted that Puja Kali could not be released from chains due to her history of aggression. But they brainstormed and decided that if three mahouts were present when they approached Puja Kali, the situation would be safe.
Without any further discussion they released her from chains.
This is a seriously significant turn of events. It is the first time we have witnessed the mahouts trouble shooting a problem, putting the elephants’ needs first.
Ganesha Kali and her unnamed calf were the first to be released in a procession of another seven elephants in our Chain Free Means Pain Free program. Their mahout was surprisingly receptive to having his elephants go chain free. Attitudes are changing.
Sundar Mala is nearly 70 years old and resides at the Sauraha hattisar in Chitwan, Nepal. Recently she began to lose weight, resulting in her removal from her friends Loctandra Kali and Oma Kali, to ensure the other elephants did not eat her food.
We lobbied for a healthier solution. Our suggestion of a dietary supplement and reunion with her friends was accepted by the mahouts.
It took two days for Sundar Mali to acquire a taste for her new diet. She still eats slowly but does not stop until she has eaten it all.
Thanks to your support, EAI is nearing the completion of its year-long project to free 63 working elephants from chains.
Elephants who have spent decades shackled by chains are now free to roam spacious mini-sanctuaries for the first time in their lives.
But now we need your help with an unexpected expense: an elephant-proof perimeter fence to keep wild elephants wild and captive elephants safe.
Last hattisar: Prototype for a healthy captive elephant environment
For five weeks, EAI and its tireless volunteers have toiled in sweltering temperatures erecting solar powered corral fencing so that captive-held anti-poaching patrol elephants at one of the government’s 15 hattisars (elephant stables), in Khorsor, Nepal, can be released from their chains forever.
This hattisar is home to 18 elephants: six females with suckling calves; an older female who acts as auntie, babysitter and wet nurse; a young pregnant female; two adolescents; and two young males who no longer live with their mothers.
This, the last hattisar in EAI’s Chain Free Means Pain Free project, has the potential to be a prototype for a healthy captive elephant environment and transform elephant management in Nepal.
But an unlikely culprit threatens the success of the project. His name? Sano Jungli Hatti — small wild elephant
Every night for the past month, sano jungli hatti has visited the hattisar, damaged the newly constructed section of corral fencing and then disappeared into the breaking dawn.
This wild elephant was dubbed sano jungli hatti because he is less than six feet tall and under 10 years of age. First seen traveling alone more than two years ago, the separation from his wild biological family was many years premature.
Although the circumstances surrounding his separation remain a mystery, sano jungli hatti’s actions clearly demonstrate that he has adopted the resident elephants in Khorsor as his family.
It’s not clear if this young elephant is motivated by his desire to procreate or be mothered, but he is willing to disregard the pain of plowing through six strands of solar powered fencing to get to his adopted family.
Until now, the fence kept out even the most dominant mature wild bulls.
But this young sano jungli hatti’s destructiveness has created a crisis.
Each time sano jungli hatti breaks through the fence, it is repaired.
It’s not a problem to repair the fence one or two times. But if the fence needs repairing day after day, it is not sustainable.
If sano jungli hatti continues to break the fence, the resident elephants will be put back on chains.
We simply cannot allow this to happen.
Solution: A perimeter fence
Capturing or relocating jungli hatti is not a viable option.
Neither is returning all 18 captive-held elephants to chains.
The answer?
Build a perimeter fence around the entire 15-acre chain free project to keep wild elephants out and the eighteen resident elephants chain-free.
The six-foot-high elephant-proof perimeter fence will cover 4,000 running feet. It is estimated to cost $1 per foot, a total of $4,000.
To ensure the success of our chain free project — to keep sano jungli hatti free and the captive-held elephants chain-free — we must raise the funds for the perimeter fence immediately.
EAI has been “boots on the ground” in Nepal for nearly five years. Initially, much of our efforts were focused on improving welfare for the privately owned elephants used for tourist rides.
We’ve provided free pedicures and husbandry and training advice bi-annually since 2011. But today the safari elephants of Chitwan suffer to the same degree as they did when we first started. As long as tourists pay to ride elephants, the elephants of Nepal will continue to be exploited.
One way for you to help is by supporting groups actively working to influence tour companies to drop elephant safaris from their tour packages. Elephant Watch Nepal is one such group.
Six months ago we found this elephant being walked along a busy highway, in the midday scorching sun, on a 30-mile walk back from a party she’d been hired for.
Today we found her in Sauraha on her way to the tourist ride area.
Saggy, dehydrated flesh
This old elephant is blind, dehydrated, exhausted, underfed, continually beaten and suffers from deep gouges around her anus from the howdah (saddle) rope.
Painful wounds caused by nylon ropes used to tie the howdah (saddle) on for tourist ridesTorn anus
The owner and mahouts are aware of her injury and how to prevent and treat it. But they do nothing to ease her suffering.
When teacher and student connect, the elephants benefit! EAI’s Elephant Foot Care Workshop at Tiger Tops Elephant Camp is proving to be an amazing experience for all
Herds of wild elephants grazing peacefully in the vast grasslands of India.
57 DAYS UNTIL CLOSING! The ERNA land and the surrounding climate are tailor-made for elephants, ensuring that each elephant who calls ERNA home will thrive.
Researchers have found that elephants are highly intelligent and capable of many human-like emotions, such as happiness, sorrow and even empathy.
Beautiful Jon taking a refreshing dip in the water.
“The pure joy an elephant exhibits when given a resemblance of freedom is what drives me to do more.” – Carol Buckley
