The first day
At 8 am, we get into the car that will take us to Sayaboury, tired, but very excited! 3 hours later, our excitement is well met when we arrive at the port and get into the ECC boat that goes on the lake and brings us to the center. We also meet our nice guide, Mr. Lar. We settle in our bungalow, before we start our first activity: walking to the little lake for a picnic lunch (plus a bonus: we will see two elephants bathe 🐘). The lunch is absolutely delicious, melting in our mouths, and we are just finishing our last mouthful when the baby elephant Suriya comes with his mahout (the elephant’s master and caretaker) to take his bath. Two minutes later, his mom Mae Dok comes along with her mahout. Both of them take their bath, and Suriya keeps climbing onto his mom and playing, it’s SO cute!! After the elephants leave, we do too and get on the boat back to the center. We go immediately to the hospital; and meet the assistant vet Mr. Kan and he takes us into the first room of the hospital, and, with the help of a few posters, explains what he has to treat in his everyday life, like a stick in a pad, something in the eye, diarrhea, colic…
Then, at 4:30 pm, we go kayaking in the lake, it’s fun!
At 6 pm Anabel, the Spanish biologist who has been with the center for 7 years, talks with us about conservation. then we have another delicious meal before heading off to bed.
Fact
Did you know that…
Male elephants have a period called Musth. During this period, the male elephant struggles with his emotions and is very aggressive and dangerous. The elephant’s mahout will probably tie up the elephant with a long 30 to 45 meter chain and leave him with food and water. An elephant in Musth has been shown to sometimes kill people, even his own mahout. The Musth period can last from 3 weeks to 2 months!
Day 2
We wake up, get dressed, have breakfast (here I lose my 11th tooth) and rest, and, at 9 am we start the first activity of the day: walking with Mae Ven’s mahout to her sleeping place and pick her up for bath time. We follow the mahout, and, in 10 minutes we arrive and see Mae Dok. Her mahout takes off her 45 meter chain and we follow her back to the lake where we had lunch yesterday. This time we watch her bathe with 5 more elephants, though I am surprised they only go in groups of 2 and maximum 3, sometimes alone. When the elephants finish bathing, we set off again with them this time towards the socialization area. This area is actually a vast spread of land in which the elephants are left alone, chain-less and without their mahouts, to interact together. After this, we go back to the center for lunch. Now it’s 11am, and at 12:30 we will have lunch, so we all go to rest and play before another delicious lunch. After eating, we have another “rest” period until 3 pm. At 3 we go see the elephants again, this time after seeing them eat we will watch them do target training, the medical training so that if the elephant falls sick, then she (or he) is trained so that it is easier to treat her (or him). During training, the vet gives the elephant instructions (like, lift your right front paw, lift your left back paw…). We were going to see Mae Kham Peng 2, but then Mae Ven’s mahout said he was worried about Mae Ven’s eye, that she couldn’t open it really well. So Mae Ven came with us instead, and Mr. Kan proceeded with target training. He has a long bamboo stick with tape rolled in a ball at the top. He uses it to tap softly the leg he wants Mae Ven to lift. It is very interesting to see him do it. Satisfied, he begins to treat Mae Ven’s eye while her mahout feeds her rice seeds, Mr. Kan says it’s like chocolate to elephants, they love it!!
Now we walk back to the center and have break time till 7pm (we go kayaking again) for dinner, then we go to bed.
Day 3
Today is our last at the ECC, and after breakfast we go to a sort of playground area for the elephants, where we hide food for them inside tires, containers… then we go up into a lookout with a roof with a view of the whole park to watch them find our things. “It’s fun!”, they seem to be saying. It’s funny watching them too! Meanwhile at the bottom of the steps, Mr. Bee, our second guide and quite the handyman with wood creates tins and hair clips for us.
After lunch, we get ready to leave. What a great time we’ve had here!
The elephants we met: file
Mae Ven
History: Mae Ven was born in Hongsa district, Northern Sayaboury Province. Mae Ven’s parents were also from the same village. Mae Ven was working in the logging industry. She was healthy and strong most of the time and the mahout considered her a good working elephant. She only has one old injury from her working life; a hard mass in the right front leg. Apparently, this injury was caused when she was chained up for a few days without being moved or checked by her mahout and she hurt herself. No one treated her wound, so this is why she has a big scar. Before 2009, she had 2 calves. In 2009, Mae Ven’s owners wanted one more calf so they bred her with 2 different males. Therefore, we don’t know exactly who the father of Suriya is. After the birth, Mae Ven walked with her 1 month old calf from Hongsa to Sayaboury, a journey that took a few days. Mae Ven joined the ECC baby bonus program in 2011 and her mahout was supported during Mae Ven’s lactation period as she was unable to work. When the contract of the Baby Bonus drew to an end, the 4 owners decided that they could no longer take care of Mae Ven and Suriya anymore. They decided to sell both of them, so in 2013 Mae Ven and Suriya became part of the ECC herd.
Distinguishing features: The smallest adult elephant at the ECC, large scar on the right front leg, very wrinkled skin, pink freckles at the edge of both ears, dark brown eyes, beautiful tail.
Personality traits: Mae Ven is a very good mother. She is quiet but also naturally inquisitive and enjoys the company of other elephants. She enjoys spending time with her calf Suriya. While she is calm by nature, sometimes she can be very playful. At times, Mae Ven can annoy the others elephants, especially Mae Dok and Mae Khoun. Mae Dok is scared of her.
Maternity: 3 calves
Suriya
History: Suriya came from Ban Vieng Keo, Hongsa. Suriya was one month old when he arrived at the ECC with his mother Mae Ven. The name “Suriya” (“sun ray”) has been chosen when he was 3 years old by picking up sugarcane bearing this name amongst 3 different ones. At the same age, Suriya has been the first captive elephant in Lao PDR being educated by the technique named “positive reinforcement”. He is still learning with his mahouts and can be a bit naughty on occasions. He was the first calf to be integrated into the herding area. Now that Suriya is growing up in an elephant herd he has many females that can take care of him, so he can spend a lot of time either with his mother Mae Ven or with the other elephants who act as aunties. In the near future, Suriya will start to spend time with other males, so they can teach him male specific behaviours, which would be extremely important for his development as a male elephant.
Distinguishing features: small tusks, athletic body, grey skin with no freckles
Personality traits: Suriya loves playing with the two other juveniles Dor Khoun Meuang and Noy. He is very curious, social and fearless.
Paternity: not yet!
Mae Kham Ohn
History: Mae Kham Ohn was used in logging camps in the Pak Beng District, Oudomxay Province until the ECC bought her in 2011. Because of her very strong personality and large size, the mahouts found it very difficult to control her while logging so she was sold from one mahout to another. We are lucky that her last mahout decided to sell her to the ECC. At first, Mae Kham Ohn was very difficult since she didn’t trust anyone. It was not rare to see her escape or run away from her mahout. The situation changed with the arrival of her current mahout, Mr. Bout. He was able to understand her personality and win her trust. At the same time, she found comfort in one of our females, Mae Boun Nam, and they became real good friends. Right now, Mae Kham Ohn has her little herd and bond very well with Mr. Bout. We are very happy that she is pregnant and we’re keeping a closely eye to her baby and herself.
Distinguishing features: Very tall, small yellow eyes, smooth skin with few wrinkles, rounded ears without tears
Personality traits: Mae Kham Ohn has a very strong personality and became the leader of the herd despite her young age. She is a dominant elephant and likes to protect and take care of the herd. Mae Kham Ohn doesn’t really like to interact with humans, more so now that she is pregnant since December 2017.
Maternity: first pregnancy since December 2017
Thong Khoun 2
History: Thong Khoun 2 was working in the logging industry most of his life. However, when the government banned the logging industry, he and his mahout found themselves jobless. After that, he was rented by a Chinese tourist camp in Sayaboury province. He worked there as a stud. Two years later, the Chinese camp closed and he and the other elephants went back to their villages. We contacted his owner to ask if he would be interested in including Thong Khoun 2 in our breeding program. Since then, he mostly spends time with the females in the forest. Thong Khoun 2 is also part of our “male research” so the ECC team is collecting fecal samples from him twice a week in order to monitor his testosterone and other hormones levels.
Distinguishing features: Small hole in his right ear, large head, wide trunk. Tuskless.
Personality traits: Aggressive male, difficult to handle. He likes to spend time with females.
Paternity: no known calves.
Mae Bounmy Noy
History: This elephant was a part of the herd rescued by the government from an illegal trade with a middle-eastern zoo. The plane was ready to transport the 13 elephants that were already at Vientiane International Airport when the order from the Prime Minister’s office came through. He enforced that the sale was illegal under Lao law for the first time in history. Originally trained to perform degrading circus tricks, she will now enjoy her life among our existing herd at the ECC. All 13 rescued elephants are now free from abuse and out of the hands of illegal traders! The government made the final decision to send these elephants to the ECC. They considered the Center to be the only place in Laos offering adequate conditions for this endangered species through the delivery of a unique welfare and conservation programme. Through the ECC’s breeding programme our hope is that these elephants will contribute to the regeneration of the declining elephant population in Laos.
Distinguishing features: Flaccid ears with lots of freckles. Deep cheeks with dark brown eyes.
Personality traits: Somewhat aggressive with other elephants, she likes to bite…
Maternity: no
Mae Bounmy Nyai
History: This elephant was also a part of the herd rescued by the government from an illegal trade with a middle-eastern zoo. The plane was ready to transport the 13 elephants that were already at Vientiane International Airport when the order from the Prime Minister’s office came through. He enforced that the sale was illegal under Lao law for the first time in history. Originally trained to perform degrading circus tricks, she will now enjoy her life among our existing herd at the ECC. All 13 rescued elephants are now free from abuse and out of the hands of illegal traders! The government made the final decision to send these elephants to the ECC. They considered the Center to be the only place in Laos offering adequate conditions for this endangered species through the delivery of a unique welfare and conservation programme. Through the ECC’s breeding programme our hope is that these elephants will contribute to the regeneration of the declining elephant population in Laos.
Distinguishing features: Unique way of staring at other creatures.
Personality traits: She likes to be around other elephants but also needs her own space and to spend time alone.
Maternity: 1 calf
Mae Khian
History: Mae Khian was born in 1987 in Thongmixay district. Her mahout believes that she is half wild and half captive since her captive mother mated with a wild male in the forest near her village. She had two calves. One of them was sold to a tourist camp in Japan and the other one died at an early age from a snake bite. She worked in logging for most of her life and she has been with her mahout since she was five years old. Mae Khian is a real member of his human family and they plan on staying together throughout her life. In 2015, Mae Khian and her mahout were part of the Elephant Caravan. The Caravan was “a living and direct message” about the urgent need for conservation of this endangered species. She walked from Paklay to Luang Prabang, together with 11 other elephants in order to spread the message. After the Caravan, her mahout wanted to offer a better life for his elephants, so he brought her to the ECC. Since then, Mae Khian has fully integrated into a herd and she is part of the ECC breeding program.
Distinguishing features: Grey skin with freckles on the ears, very wrinkled.
Personality traits: Very sociable elephant.
Maternity: 2 calves
Mae Boun Nam
History: Mae Boun Nam was born in Ban Namon Village, Thongmixay District, Sayaboury Province where she lived with her mum, Mae Thong, and her mahout’s family. Mae Thong had 3 calves, 2 females and 1 male named Phai Kham Sing who also lives at the ECC. At the age of 11, Mae Boun Nam started working in a village, located within the Hongsa District, transporting tourists during forest treks. Thankfully, she was never employed in the logging industry due to her young age. Mae Boun Nam has had 3 pregnancies, but they don’t all have happy endings. Her first pregnancy was a success; the male calf was born healthy and at the age of 4, he was sold in Luang Prabang district. He now lives at the ECC. The second and the third pregnancy were more dramatic. During her second pregnancy, when she was 15 months pregnant, she broke her chain and escaped to eat the crops of one of the neighbour farmers. Sadly, the farmer was so afraid of her that he shot her in the belly and she lost her calf. The third pregnancy was in 2013 but unfortunately her baby was stillborn. Mae Boun Nam is currently part of the ECC breeding program.
Distinguishing features: small in size, many pink freckles on top of the eyes, at the base of the trunk and in the tip of ears, scar on the right side of her body, both her tushes are broken, wrinkles on the face and around the eyes, very long and hairy tail
Personality traits: Mae Boun Nam is very friendly, social, maternal and curious elephant. She loves to play and swim in the water. She also enjoys socializing with the other elephants. Her motivation is food and for these reasons, she is the best elephant at completing the Enrichment activities. She is compliant during target training.
Maternity: 3 calves, only 1 survived
Mae Dok
History: Mae Dok was born in Ban Muang village, Hongsa district, Sayaboury province. She was used for extensive logging operations for 30 years. Consequently, she had a big wound on her back, and she was very weak. Since she couldn’t work anymore, the owner wanted to sell. She was rescued by the ECC and US based charity Elephants Umbrella Fund and was the first elephant to arrive at the center. Once at the center, the ECC veterinarians and her new mahout, treated her wound daily. A few months later, she recovered but she was still very weak. Slowly she started to become more active and look healthier and healthier every year. The ECC team is very happy to see the evolution of her health. She is a very kind and slow elephant and enjoys her life of retirement.
Distinguishing features: Few freckles on the ears and on the forehead, dark brown eyes, tired looking eyes, cone shaped head, hollow cheeks, pronounced back, dark skin.
Personality traits: Mae Dok is the oldest elephant at the center. In the wild, the elephant herd is led by the oldest and largest female elephant known as the matriarch. However, Mae Dok has not taken on this role due to her inexperience in elephant herds and because she is not a dominant elephant. Due to her age, Mae Dok moves at a slower pace. Although she is part of the herd, Mae Dok also enjoys being alone. However, Mae Dok is scared of Mae Ven, and Mae Kham Ohn protects her. They developed a good relationship together. After two years of the herding program, she started to enjoy taking care of Suriya.
Maternity: no pregnancies, too old to reproduce
Mae Kham Peng 2
History: This elephant was a part of the herd rescued by the government from an illegal trade with a middle-eastern zoo. The plane was ready to transport the 13 elephants that were already at Vientiane International Airport when the order from the Prime Minister’s office came through. He enforced that the sale was illegal under Lao law for the first time in history. Originally trained to perform degrading circus tricks, she will now enjoy her life among our existing herd at the ECC. All 13 rescued elephants are now free from abuse and out of the hands of illegal traders! The government made the final decision to send these elephants to the ECC. They considered the Center to be the only place in Laos offering adequate conditions for this endangered species through the delivery of a unique welfare and conservation programme. Through the ECC’s breeding programme our hope is that these elephants will contribute to the regeneration of the declining elephant population in Laos.
Distinguishing features: Very tall.
Personality traits: She likes to be alone. Difficult for her to socialize with other elephants.
Maternity: Two calves before coming to ECC.
Source: elephantconservationcenter.com
Look at the website for more info!