#moonandpea

Lesson #4657: India in June is a no-no. Travelers tried to dissuade us, Indians warned us, and our inexperience with the conditions that we were about to face led us to be overconfident in our level of preparedness... or lack thereof. While we ultimately experienced some of the most challenging and uncomfortable (to say the least) moments of our trip, we also left with having experienced an immense amount of beauty and personal connections with people we are confident will be our friends for many years ahead. Also, we had an opportunity to share some of the lessons we've learned with a grassroots organization that continues to aim for the heights of supporting the slum communities in Baljeet Nagar, New Delhi: Wahoe Commune.

These two weeks brought some of the most intense challenges of our trip so far: heat and humidity that would melt a candle factory (42-48C/108-118F), and actually led to heat rashes, exhaustion and pretty serious dehydration.

We were living simply, with wonderful caregivers/guides, and ultimately completed our original commitment of 2 weeks, because we humbly hoped that our time and experience could help their mission of empowering the women and children of the slum. 

*Slum school room*

We supported this NGO in a variety of ways, as they are fairly "new" and can benefit greatly from a variety of contributions; administrative, technical, and hands-on teaching of both the women and children are desperately needed: 

Susie created new graphics and posters, as well as lesson plans and curriculum.

We worked with the team to build a fundraising plan, to simplify their social media presence, develop and organize a volunteer program that will be most efficient and helpful to all involved, and suggestions for different teaching/discipline methods and tools for class organization.

We created the first step in developing a simple progress reporting system for the students, so they may personalize the lessons by each student and/or level.

We spent a few days in the classroom working with the teachers and other volunteers to teach basic English and Math... and at the end of class, shared in laughter and momentary joy through playing silly games.

The donations that we received covered the costs of school supplies, ie. pencils, sharpeners, notebooks, paper, crayons, erasers; they will be distributed, as needed, per child.

“Oh, is that one of those places you can ride the elephants and go white water rafting after… or one of those learn to train elephants in a day tour packages… or is that where the elephants ACTUALLY paint a picture right in front of the crowd?! Isn’t that so awesome?!” In our wonder-filled imaginations, which we developed as children while discovering the world through books and media, these things would be “awesome,” or… awe-inspiring. It might feel magical to climb atop the largest land mammal walking the planet, empowering to feel strong enough or smart enough to “control” such a wild creature, or fascinating to see an animal who might naturally charge the crowd in fear or defensiveness, create a simple painting that most adults wouldn’t have the talent to create. Of course, it would… until we learn that these attractions create tourism slaves out of these beautiful and gentle giants. And, the way we choose to describe it is: aw-ful. The reality is that Asian elephants are being exploited and have been for centuries.

In Thailand, elephant statues tower atop temples (wats), and mimic the past in artwork and religious script, as they have been honored and revered throughout Eastern history. Mahouts, the elephants’ “keepers,” have had very close relationships with their elephants, which are sometimes passed down through familial generations. They may spend all of their time with the elephant, building a relationship to work as a team to support the family, or village. 

Elephants were enlisted to aide in battle during wartime, and put to work clearing forests and jungles during the logging and development of the villages and cities before it became illegal. But, because the livelihood of the mahout’s family and village relied on logging, they were forced to continue logging illegally, or to steer their giant into the trekking camps and entertainment within the tourism industry. And now, you will find elephants printed on pants and t-shirts at every tourist market, or even walking down a northern road, carrying a group of tourists who paid for a wild experience.

The biggest question that may be the most important to ask: how are these wild animals being trained to complete these tasks, or to perform for the masses? 

The answer: They are poached and stolen from their herd, which alone is heartbreaking, because they live in social groups in the wild; they become depressed when they lose a family member. They are tied in ropes, shoved into small pens, stabbed with sharp poles, or struck and led by sharp hooks. During the entertainment shows, they may be stabbed with small spikes behind their ears, and the onlookers are never the wiser. They are made to carry more weight then they should with their fragile backbones, or forced to breed, even when injured or completely disabled. Their spirit is broken. 

The following video is graphic, horrific, and may be difficult to watch. We couldn’t watch some parts, and were in tears nearly immediately. We are sorry to be the bearers, and believe it’s necessary to spread this urgent message. Our hearts are with you as you watch. http://youtu.be/SVckvi_gWVo Asian elephants are considered endangered. However, the elephants that are considered “domesticated” do not count; they are considered the same as dogs and cats, and are not protected. All, tourist-industry elephants are considered “domestic.” So how can they be protected?

During our time in northern Thailand, with the Elephant Nature Park, we learned that tourists have a choice. We can follow our original childhood amazement, OR we can choose to recreate the fantasy: We can dream of observing elephants in their natural habitat, interacting with each other in their chosen social groups.

We can laugh as they play in the mud…

…and, take naps when they choose, while an elephant friend fans them with a branch she pulled from a tree.

We can give them all the space they need to be free, and to BE as an elephant is meant to be.

We had an amazing opportunity to experience what one woman, Phi Lek-Sangduen, and her team, are doing to rescue, protect, and provide a space for some of these beauties to re-learn to BE themselves; to live out there lives in safety and comfort, free to roam the protected land of the Nature Park, as well as return to the remote Jungles with their mahouts, where they won’t be required to perform for the family income. We even got to meet some baby elephants who have never been “broken” and will be allowed to maintain their wild spirit… until the time when it will be safe for them to be released into the jungles.

The Elephant Nature Park has been deemed “Heaven on Earth” for many animals, including water buffalo, dogs, and cats. And, in many cases they roam the park together! It’s no wonder that the park has been feature in documentaries, on Animal Planet, and in National Geographic. We felt the life bubbling over, and grateful that we were able to experience this incredible place.

Please explore the ENP website, at http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/. And, volunteer or donate if you can! 

“Elephant Nature Park Mission Statement:

Sanctuary for endangered species: We provide homes for these animals as well as contributing to their welfare and development.

Rain Forest Restoration: One of the most exciting developments at the park is our programme of tree planting the surrounding area. The ecological balance of plants and animals will be encouraged by the re-introduction of the rain forest. Some 25 acres of the mountainside will be planted every year for the first 5 years.

Cultural Preservation: To maintain, as much as possible, the cultural integrity of the local community. By creating employment and purchasing agricultural products locally we are assisting the villagers in sustaining their distinct culture. Park managers are recruited locally to oversee the park’s progress.

Visitors Education : To educate visitors, individuals, study groups, schools and interested parties. Emphasis on the plight of the endangered local species will be presented in an entertaining and constructive manner. Future phases will include audio / visual equipment and other modern educational aids. It is anticipated that small conferences and workshops will be organised at the park.

Act independently : of pressure groups and political movements that we consider contrary to the well being of the park and the creatures in its care.” 

As a result of the generosity of our Moon and Pea supporters, we were able to experience the “Journey to Freedom” program in the foothills of the northern Thailand Himalayas, as well as spend one night and day at the park itself at the end of our week.

“Journey to Freedom was created by Elephant Nature Park to allow elephants owned by the Karen tribal people to retire from trekking camps and return to living in their villages. The project enables the elephants to live a more natural life and restores the close connection that the Karen people traditionally have with their herd.”

Essentially, the funds that are collected from the volunteers are partly used to “lease” the elephants from the mahouts and the village, directly creating an income outside of the tourism and trekking industries. An outright purchase of the elephant may result in a new elephant being captured to replace the old, so the village can regain a continuous income. Under the “lease” agreement, the mahouts must abide by the rules and standards designed to protect the elephants, as required by their agreement with ENP... ideally creating a win-win arrangement.

We, the volunteers, were transported in vans and trucks to the village, bringing an abundance of food supplies for the week; whatever was leftover was given to the village to supplement their meals. 

VIDEO! http://youtu.be/wsYGwAi0-kQ (Long and Bumpy!)

We were there to visit the rescued elephants in an even more natural habitat, support with local projects that needed extra hands, interact with the local villagers, and basically observe how our donation supports the elephants’ lives.

Ideally, we were to support a project each day, including building firebreaks on the hillsides, planting coffee crops around trees to help prevent illegal logging, teaching English in the village schools, and any other projects that popped up as we were there. As it turned out, we mostly interacted with the villagers, each other, and the elephants, without doing much hard labor at all; we’ve learned that most things planned in rural Southeast Asia, don’t actually go according to any plan: “The guy that was supposed to lead this project had to go into the city” or… “That work was already finished yesterday by a local.” We quickly began to feel that this “volunteer” experience was designed to merely provide us an opportunity to meet and interact with the elephants and villagers that our funds were supporting… so we made the best of it!

During our program week, we stayed in two different Karen villages, played games and sports with the children, laughed and learned through a language exchange, visited a local school, blew bubbles and sang silly songs with the children…

…were blessed by the village Shaman, and enjoyed a dinner with the locals’ in their homes.

We slept under mosquito nets in a traditional platform-style building (when the goats, roosters, cows, and puppies below us weren’t keeping us awake!) with our fellow volunteers, having an awesome opportunity to make new friends from around the world!

We drove in the back of pick-up trucks on bumpy mountain roads, and played in a jungle waterfall….

and we got to meet, feed, and interact with elephants in the jungle!

In the first village, we met Mama, Nani, the twin babies, and their friend!

VIDEO! http://youtu.be/nucDcs4VNe0  Twins are a rarity in the elephant world, so it was an extra honor to meet them.

We were told that Mama and Nani, retired working elephants, were chained only for our safety, and the chains were removed after the short time that we were there. We didn’t feel comfortable with this practice, but trusted that the elephants were being treated respectfully, and by the guidelines set by ENP. 

We spent time feeding them banana leaves that we’d chopped for them the day before, and observing how they ate, drank, bathed, ran, played, and were curious about us… especially when we had watermelon or sugar cane to feed them!

We had the opportunity to spend another day walking them through the jungle, stopping to eat lunch while they played in the river, about 50 meters away. It was incredible to watch them move through the river on their way back to wherever it was they chose to be…. as the mahouts only seemed to gently guide them one way or another, and ultimately they went their own way.

In the second village, we met one incredible beauty, named Mea Cham.

Her story was heartbreaking; she was traveling through life alone and depressed, because her family/social group members were all stolen for trekking, and her babies ultimately died. We were in awe of her stature and natural power, as she ran down the hill towards us, knowing that we brought some delectable sugar cane and freshly picked corn on the cob!

VIDEO! http://youtu.be/3D7AbvcUKQg

We had the opportunity to be close to her, watching her trunk in action; grabbing and twisting, and crunching the giant sugar cane stalks into something more easily chewable. 

She got to cool down with a shower, and even picked up the hose and poured the water into her own trunk. We were in awe!

After spending one night in the new village, practicing English with the teens, and enjoying our last meal cooked by our guides and buddies, Jian and Stam…

... we were off to spend the night and our last day exploring the Elephant Nature Park!

The first night, we got to walk down to the river and give a few elephants a bath!

We got to enjoy a delicious meal and traditional dance performance, as well as a Thai massage under the stars. And, on our way back to our room, a little kitty that REALLY wanted to snuggle with us for the night greeted us… and most people who know us will know that it was a big challenge to say "no." 

The next morning, we had an early breakfast, and then started our walking tour around the park. It was absolutely beautiful to see how free and thriving the sanctuary elephants were… especially the babies, who had never been abused or treated as sources of income. They were playful and curious, and at times rebellious- not wanting to listen to their mahouts. They got to do their own thing!

We got to learn about the various elephants’ stories, and observe them interacting with one another, or within their family groups.

We also got to keep our distance, giving them the room with respect of their past fears and pain… we got to back away quickly if it seemed unsafe for us- not the other way around. It felt appropriate, and loving. We got to appreciate them from a distance. And, because of that, they got to be themselves: beautiful, gentle, and above all, safe. 

We also learned that some of the experiences we had in the villages, with the “Journey to Freedom” program, were being evaluated. We were right to feel uncomfortable with the chains, as they are never supposed to be used, based on the agreement; if our safety was a concern, then we shouldn’t be allowed so close to the elephants, as they should be given their space. We were asked for our feedback, as Lek and the team needed to learn from their employed guides, as well as the volunteers, if this “leasing” practice was working. ENP is also practicing, creating, and learning new ways to support their mission; and we were grateful that we were able to support in this way, as well.

We both learned an immense amount during this week... about ourselves and our responses to being out of our comfort zone in many ways, about another culture and new language, about the other volunteers and why they chose to participate in this program, and, of course, about the plight of the Asian elephants. Honestly, we were just as curious to trek and ride, or to see a show… before we thought deeper about the realities, and learned the terrible truths. For all of these things, we are incredibly grateful to be supported by you. Thank you deeply from Moon and Pea, and from all of the elephants! <3

If you’d like to meet the individual elephants in the ENP herd, visit: www.saveelephant.org/meet-herd-elephant-nature-park

Special Elephant Story This elephant, Medo, left quite an impression on our hearts, as I’m sure she often does.

Her story was heartbreaking; her leg having been severely injured while working in a camp, she was forced to breed, which further broke her hip. She struggles to walk, and has a difficult time sleeping. Not only was her spirit broken… her body is left with visible scars.

We learned that individuals may “sponsor” an elephant at the ENP: “Sponsorships are a great way to show your love, compassion and support for an elephant at Elephant Nature Park. Your sponsorship money helps to provide the best food, medical care and shelter. In return, you’ll receive periodic updates on how your sponsored elephant is doing and what they’ve been up to!”

We felt moved to allocate some of our “Giving Fund” to sponsor Medo for a year! And, because our dear friend, Jenna, referred us to Elephant Nature Park, and donated towards our experience (and therefore, the park)… it was our honor to sponsor Medo in Jenna’s name.