Thanks for the support for Pawan Kali. What a great opportunity this has been for so many elephant lovers to cross borders. Leave it to the elephants to bring us all together! Thanks to your support, Pawan Kali is all set.
Over the next several weeks you will have many opportunities to be of assistance. Our next venture is the elephant foot care workshop. In addition to the fabulous custom foot knives that have already been made, I was able to locate wood rasps to trim the nails, wire brushes to clean debris from the pads and an elephant-size aluminum bucket for foot soaks.
I am getting excited about the workshop, which will include a PowerPoint presentation followed by a demonstration by yours truly. I finally have a defendable reason to put my hands on the elephants!
As result of the owners’ cooperation and participation in the Elephant Health Camp, a thorough examination was done on every elephant’s foot. The sheer number of elephants was a blessing, enabling the team to determine patterns, both positive and not, regarding the condition and wear of the elephants’ feet. Collectively their feet were in good condition.
Foot pad and nail overgrowth is a common condition in captive elephants. Trimming tools vary in size and style but the goal is universal: maintain elephant’s feet to ensure even wear of both the pads and the toe nails and prevent overgrowth. The challenge is to not over-trim.
When foot pads are trimmed excessively, the elephant will bruise the bottom of the foot. If repeated, the bruised areas can become infected. Once an infection becomes chronic it is possible for the condition to advance to osteomyelitis, a disease that, to date, has not been cured in elephants.
Having the proper foot trimming tools is essential, so the other day we paid a visit to the local iron worker. He listened intently as our translator explained exactly what we wanted. He nodded his head, asked questions and finally agreed to create a prototype and have it delivered to us the next morning. True to his word the custom-made hoof trimming tool arrived as promised; it was perfect. He did such a great job on the first prototype that we gave him a second and ordered five sets.
Soon we will meet with the owners and mahouts to provide a workshop on foot care. Judging by the receptivity and interest shown by the owners and mahouts, I have no doubt that the foot care workshop will be well received.
Everything we do and everything we provide to the owners and mahouts is free of charge. At this point it is most important that the owners buy into the idea of change. By providing these tools and our expertise free of charge, we are helping to further our welfare goal. By working cooperatively with the owners and mahouts the elephants will benefit.
Feeling the need to make a contribution to this effort I signed International Elephant Aid up as the underwriter for the workshop. IEA will cover the cost of the tools, which will include supplies for foot soaks and foot trimming. I will donate my time and services to give the workshop and tutor the mahouts on proper elephant foot care.
I am so excited about this component of Dr. Mikota’s work at Chitwan National Park. Fortunately the owners and mahouts are receptive to our offer of assistance. They appear eager to learn whatever they can for the benefit of their elephants.
Custom hoof knives created by the local iron worker
These elephants benefit from the mobile health care program I established over five years ago.
Welcome to my new blog! I am so excited to share this great news with you. Never one to stand around and watch the grass grow, I decided to create a new nonprofit organization called
Elephant Aid International.
I guess that makes all of you ELEAIDS.
The mission of Elephant Aid International is to assist elephants worldwide…one elephant at a time. I believe in the power of one, that every elephant counts. On my travels I will be searching for opportunities to learn about elephant and mahout life in Nepal, India and Thailand. Whenever and wherever possible, I hope to impart what elephants have taught me about non-dominance passive-control management and the sanctuary life style.
It is my good fortune to be invited by elephant experts to participate in field work, elephant medical care and even brainstorming with other like-minds for the creation of elephant sanctuaries in Nepal and India. I am focusing on the future, thankful for this opportunity to be of service on a much grander scale. This trip is humbling, a fabulous opportunity to further my studies of this magnificent species and a chance to give back.
Imagine the prospect of sharing what I have learned from our girls to benefit their relatives, in their homeland. It is more than I ever dreamed possible. Talk about coming full circle and paying it forward.
I can’t wait to see what the future holds. My flight to Kathmandu leaves April 12. After a pit stop in Bangkok I join up with a team of veterinarians and technicians for the first leg of my trip. I will blog as often as possible to include you in the adventure and, of course, introduce you to each and every elephant I am blessed to meet along the way. The future is indeed BRIGHT.
