Day 1 [4 Jan]
On Day 1, our group set off for the Elephant Nature Park. The Elephant Nature Park (ENP) is a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants that is set in a highly natural environment with rivers and forested mountains. I was honestly impressed at and in awe of the peaceful and serene environment that the park has provided for the resident elephants. We were brought on tours of the grounds of the park and got many opportunities to interact with the elephants, such as stroking and feeding them, giving them showers and taking photographs together.
Despite the general jovial atmosphere, there were still certain instances that left us with a heavy heart. The guide shared with us the stories of some of the elephants, like the elephant which has a hole in one ear due to damage from a hook from previous work in logging, another which is blind from bright lights due to circus work and one which is blind due to punishment from its owner. Upon hearing the many unfortunate encounters experienced by the elephants, I truly felt a strong sense of compassion for these beautiful animals. Nonetheless, I am also happy for them for having such a caring home like the ENP now. The park has taken in many different elephants albeit their injuries, and has done much to again warm their hearts. I found it notable that all the park staff treat the elephants just like friends. Each elephant has a name and the guides all have clear knowledge of the habits and temperament of different elephants. Their dedication was also clearly evinced in their meticulous care for the elephants and even in small actions such as putting a flower in the ear of the elephant with the hole from logging (which many of us view as a very sweet gesture). I hope that the park continues to receive great support from the public for them to maintain, or even enhance their efforts.
In addition, we also took some free time to conduct interviews and surveys with the local guides and tourists at ENP as part of gathering information and content for the final deliverables. It was indeed heartwarming to hear that many tourists, especially those from the western countries, take a firm stance against elephant poaching and ivory trading. Other than sharing their views and opinions on the subject matters, some tourists even gave us advice on data collection, such as how to better rephrase questions or to eliminate unfair underlying assumptions. To bring up a specific example, we had a question in the survey which was “Why do you think ivory trading is important?”. A tourist pointed out to us that he found that question hard to answer since he did not even agree that ivory trading is important in the first place. This made me realize that we should be careful not to convey any presupposed notion but instead maintain neutrality as much as possible. Interaction with the tourists thus made me comprehend the value of having a global experience and the importance of keeping an open mind when it comes to learning. I am thankful for an enriching first day filled with so many valuable takeaways and with this, I look forward to meeting even more amazing people and having even more inspiring interactions in the days to come 🙂