I AM ELEPHANT. HEAR ME ROAR.

 



After a few days in Koh Phi Phi Don, Ouja and I ventured back out to the mainland of Krabi, wishing to scope out some of the nearby beaches claiming their own bit of infamy on Thailand's resplendent coast . Ao Nang beach, nearby our encampment, was the perfect ticket, that indelible mixture of island balminess and recquiescence. To celebrate our last day together as a dynamic duo (Ouja had to take an early leave of absence to attend to business), we visited a nearby elephant camp to witness firsthand these animals that are fixtures of so many of our imaginations and subjects of film, literature and art around the globe . I don't think either of us had ever gotten that up close and personal with an elephant before, and while the experience itself didn't disappoint, Ouja and I were deeply dismayed to find some example of animal abuse on our short trek with the giants. Overall, we found not only a greater appreciation for the work and efforts of animal right activists, but a profound sort of reverence for these majestic creatures, who never cease to fill us with a sense of awe and wonder.

 

This was an amazing moment. You can't see it, but this elephant's front right leg was shackled to the dirt ground and there was a 10 inch gash across her forehead. The elephant master, whose antics we all frankly had in question, allowed us to get nearby the statuesque animal kept in isolation in the middle of a clearing. You could tell she was unlike the rest of the animals, who walked about confidently and seemed rather impassive when humans got near. She was filled with fear, her eyes betraying an unspoken sadness and anxiety that loomed about her. I tried to remain at a distance as Ouja got close, attempting to communicate love and peace to this great and mysterious creature. You can tell Ouja's careful and slow manipulations and the incredible gentleness in her stance and in her soft hands, as she felt the roughness of the elephant's leathery hide.