I made a promise to an elephant.
I prefer not to make promises, (as my children will attest), but today I do. I have no idea if I can help, but I have to try. We can look away, move on, but what does that say about humanity?
I am overwhelmed with intense sadness at seeing such very sad, ill treated beautiful intelligent beings.
They are shackled, have eye infections, old scars and fresh wounds and a unsympathetic trainer with a very sharp instrument.
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| Next to the elephant’s ear, you can see the sharp instrument used to “train” through pain and punshiment. You can also see an old scar on the elephant’s ear from earlier abuse. |
As I approach one of the two elephants and stroke her rough dry trunk and look into the saddest eyes I had seen in a long time, I promise an elephant I would do try to help her..
The current tourism model in Lak Lake is to include a night walk around the lake on top a steel cage that digs into the Pachiderms’ back.
Yet a shift from elephant enslavement to elephant rehabilitation and sanctuary has already been proofed out as a viable alternative tourism model. The Elephant Nature Park and the Baan Chang Elephant Park in Thailand rescue abused elephants and give them a new home. They stop entirely any kind of “pet tricks” and abusive tourist rides and start to rebuild the elephant’s trust of humans. I have not yet found through research an equivalent Vietnamese elephant sanctuary.
Elephants used for tourist rides are tortured into submission. Elephants are very much like humans in their emotional capacity and are known for their intelligence. There is no other way to see this situation other than as a form of enslavement. I will continue looking for a Vietnamese organization that can take the lead in demonstrating “another way”. If it’s possible in Thailand, why not in Viet Nam?
The department if Tourism in Lak Lake needs a change in perspective from elephant rides to elephant rehab and sanctuary. This is possible, but it will require a sustained effort.
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| When tourists stop taking elephant rides this activity will no longer have support. Elephant sanctuaries are the best “tourist attraction”. |