Hands to the sun for baby elephants!

There, I've said it. There is no creature alive cuter than a baby elephant.



Well, maybe baby red pandas, or lemurs. But they're in a category all their own.

For tugging at the heart-strings, elephants might have the rest of the mammals beat. And we just had to get our hands--literally--on some pachy-derm during our stay in Thailand. Enter the Elephant Nature Park outside Chiang Mai. Unlike myriad other elephant attractions in the country, E.N.P. does not offer rides or elephant painting exhibitions. Each of the elephants here--34 in all--have been rescued from lives of service and given a new home on an expansive, cruelty-free compound in the jungle.

Last week, we checked off one more entry on our life "to-do" list: bathe and feed elephants. Below are some photos from the day.


This basket of fruit vanished in just minutes


Who knew elephants were herders?

Each elephant at the park has a story. Some were used in the forest before logging was outlawed in 1989. Others were rescued from the streets of Bangkok where they are used as a tool for begging. They're all given a new life here, where the only concerns are jockeying with other elephant for a basket of fresh fruit, or keeping off the feet of the many dogs that live at the park.

One elephant had an injured foot from an exploded landmine on the Burma-Thai border while another had been blinded by its former mahout (handler). The stories will break your heart and the documentary film that is played during your visit pulls no punches. Thankfully, the founder, Sangduen "Lek" Chailert, and her staff have created a refuge for these sensitive, endearing animals.


Both the mahout and these elephants were in need of a quick dip in the river


Scrub-a-dub-dub


Bucket brigade


Z makes a new friend




The circle of life

If you have the chance to visit Thailand, avoid tourist attractions that feature elephant performances and rides. The methods used to break an elephant are savage beyond imagination and their service and performance is anything but natural. Volunteer at the park if you can, foster an elephant, or make a donation. Funds are tight for all non-profits and Elephant Nature Foundation is no exception. Also, encourage Thailand to outlaw elephant begging. And finally, encourage them to continue protecting the elephants' habitat; their numbers have shrunk from 100,000 a century ago to only 5,000 today -- and only 2,000 in the wild. It's a sad fate for Thailand's greatest symbol. Hopefully the animals, not just their images, will survive.