Elephant Love!!

Today we went to the Patara Elephant Farm. 

Once we arrived we learned about the different medicines and remedies used to cure elephant ailments. We also learned how to prepare tamarind balls to hide the medicine the elephants do not like. The total process for making tamarind medicine balls takes about 3+ hours. First one starts by separating the tamarind and then putting them in a bag. Then you have to steam the tamarind bags for two hours in order to kill any bugs that might have gotten into it. After it is steamed for two hours you have to let it cool and then sprinkle it with a lot of salt and allow it to sit for one hour. Then the tamarind is finally ready to be stored in a plastic bag or used to give elephants their medicine. We also learned from the veterinarian how expensive each medication is and the amount one elephant needs in order to be healthy again.

Right before lunch we were taken to a field where we were able to see the elephants roam free. It was interesting to see, especially the baby elephants. They were so cute and adorable as they ran through the camp and played with other baby elephants.  

After lunch we were able to play with the elephants and this is when things got really fun and dirty. The baby elephants, especially the two boy elephants, love to play by pushing and sitting on people. It is actually really funny to see a 300 pound baby elephant sitting on people as they are trying not to get crushed. At one point, this adorable baby elephant just sat on Lia and Savannah and got mud all over them. 

But the best part of the day has to be, by far, the moment when we were able to ride the elephants! We first fed then and  

cleaned them of any dirt to prevent any irritation on the elephant’s part and then we had to climb on them. The only person who was able to gracefully climb onto their elephant was Grace, but everyone else seriously struggled which added humor to the entire experience.

                                         

We rode the elephants for about 30 minutes through the forest to a waterfall where we bathed them. The trek to the waterfall was beautiful and mostly downhill which made it slightly difficult to stay mounted on the elephant, but it was fun. 

Bathing the elephants was a unique experience because we were able to bond with our elephants. Some people got on top of the elephants to scrub their heads and some people had water fights! As we took group pictures, the elephants sprayed us with water. 

Overall this was an exciting and fun day!