Elephant Sanctuary – Mahout Course Aug. 22-24, Lampang, Thailand

Prachaup

Amazing, fantastic, brilliant, wonderful, etc.
Arrived at 8.30 am. Signed in and got handed our mahout uniforms. Half an hour after arriving I was on the elephant. My elephant is called Prachuab, after the province where she comes from (upper southern Gulf of Thailand). She is 25 years old. She is gorgeous, a little bit frisky and has a crush on Jojo (another elephant). She is a favourite with many of the other staff, so I was lucky again! My mahout is Mr Nodt, he is one of the best. We are learnt the commands for the elephants to lift their leg so we can climb on and off, to crouch down so we can slide off down the front, to go, to stop, to pick things up with their trunks and pass them back to us, to sit and to lay down on their sides. When Prachuap lay on her side, I could sit on her leg and feed sugar cane right into her mouth. When she stood up I could get right under her trunk and put the food in her mouth, I could even feel her tongue.
Bath time, ‘Watch the elephants take a bath’ it said on the program. We all headed down to a big pond, on the way Prachuap stopped for a drink. Jojo (or the cheeky mahout on his back) thought it would be funny to spray us with water. It was.
About 9 elephants headed down to the water, The others had their mahouts on their elephants with them. Mr Nodt was following behind me on foot. Next thing I know Prachuap has followed all the other elephants in to the water, I only just had time to throw my sandals at Mr Nodt before she waded in with me on her back.



Trying to stay dry at bath time was impossible. All the mahouts were agile enough to keep dry, but delighted in getting the elephants to spray water all over us, especially me it seemed, I think because I was mahoutless! Day tourists were watching, the elephants were loving it, and so were we.
I had no idea what I was supposed to do but I looked at Mr Nodt on the bank and he gave me a big grin and two thumbs up, so I guess I did okay. Bathtime was 3 times a day.
There were 2 daily elephant shows (we participated in one the last day).
At the end of the day (after another bath) we rode the elephants into the jungle for the night, then trekked back to camp, about 25 minutes walk. The elephants were left on long chains so they could wander and feed.


Mr Nudt, Prachuap's mahout on the morning stroll (with sugar cane) to jungle.

In the morning at 6.30 am we would all trek back into the jungle to pick up our elephants, they would gather their own chains up with their trunks. Then we would ride back to camp, another bath.


Prachuap is always hungry, she didn’t like being at the back of the line and is always charging past the other elephants (trying to catch up to Jojo). She’s noisier than the other elephants, trumpeting, snorting, and bobbing her head up and down (Nodt said she’s dancing). I miss her now and am addicted to elephants.


The accommodation was much better than I expected, the foods great (I finally tried a fried cricket) the other people on the course were very nice, the mahouts were cheeky and fun. There was also an elephant hospital for injured elephants.

It was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.