Save and Rescue an Asian Elephant Today

Elephant keeping in a traditional farming community can be difficult, because elephants can wander into farms in search of food. This can lead to major human-elephant conflict because an elephant eating a farmer’s field means a loss of food and income for that farmer. In one night an elephant can destroy an entire season’s work. However, the villagers of Huay Pakoot practice traditional elephant management techniques that help them avoid such unfortunate conflicts.One example of elephant management is building fences to keep elephants, and livestock as well, out of farmer’s fields.

The villagers have built one such fence in order to allow our herd of elephants to pass from one part of the forest to another. Through the field the farmers have created a corridor for our elephants to pass through with a barbed wire fence on both sides of the path in order to prevent the elephants from eating their corn. For the past two days the elephants have used the corridor when hiking with GVI volunteers, and volunteers have got to experience firsthand village elephant management techniques. It is a great solution to potential conflict during the farming season and benefits both the elephants and the farmers.

Over the past few weeks seven elephants have returned to the village to enjoy a few months of hard earned rest. The elephants are traditionally brought back to the village to forage in their natural habitat during the hot season. This allows them time to socialise with other elephants, mate and forage on a wider variety of plants. The elephants work in tourist camps either trekking (giving tourists elephant rides on large, heavy benches) or performing tricks such as playing football or dancing.

The villagers performed a welcoming ceremony for the elephants which they have done for possibly hundreds of years. The Karen people have a long, proud history of working with elephants and would often consider their elephant to be a member of the family.

The ceremony is one way in which the villagers give thanks to the elephants. First, a village pig is slaughtered and a soup is made using the pig’s head. The elephants are offered a small piece of the flesh with some rice. This is an offering of the pig’s spirit to the elephant’s spirit. A small bundle of fresh leaves with three candles and a rupee coin is placed on the elephants head. Jasmine flowers floating in rice wine is poured on the elephant as a blessing and white string is placed around the elephant’s ears. The villagers first bless the string over some rice asking the spirits to protect the elephant, wishing them a long and healthy life.

The villagers then eat together, eating the pig’s head soup. There is a strict order to who eats the soup.