Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Yesterday deserves its own post.

At 5:30 a.m., the alarm clock rang. Unlike in Germany, I don't need time to snooze here, especially not today. We had a trip to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary planned. Even before our trip, we knew that this would be one of our biggest highlights and the anticipation was huge. And let me tell you, all of my expectations were exceeded and I still have a constant grin on my face just thinking about it.

As soon as we arrived at the sanctuary, we saw the elephants. What a goosebumps moment... We learned a lot about these gentle giants, including the fact that there is a third gender called the "Ladyboy" in Asian elephants. We also learned why elephant riding is so dangerous for them. Of course, common sense should be enough to discourage anyone from doing it, but the fact that their bodies are designed to carry weight below their spine and not on their backs is even more shocking in terms of what us humans are willing to do to make money. Because that's what it is. Nothing more and nothing less. It's unbelievable how many people take part in the elephant trekking tours offered here and are happy to ride on an elephant. As long as there are people like that, there will always be sanctuaries where once abused animals can find a new home. Reintroduction into the wild is no longer possible due to their past experiences.
The sanctuary we visited, which also has other locations in Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Samui, is currently home to four adults and a 1.5-year-old elephant. The smallest one has only recently arrived and was previously kept in a circus. We were able to feed the beautiful creatures, cover them in mud, and later give them a bath. All without any force, shackles, or objects that could cause them pain.
When I look back on the day, I find it simply overwhelming and sad at the same time that I was able to be so close to these magnificent beings.