The Elephants We'll Never Forget

Leaving Kuala Lumpur, we headed Northeast to go to a Kuala Gandah an elephant conservation center. People at the center work to relocate wild elephants who are damaging crops and are therefore at risk of being killed by angry farmers. The center also takes in elephants who have been injured by other animals like tigers and other big cats. Elephants are relocated from different parts of Southeast Asia and are brought protected lands in Malaysia. At the center are several tame and working elephants that can be used to calm and comfort the wild elephants during the relocation process. The worker elephants can accompany and help move the recently tranquilized, dazed, and scared wild elephants, which can provide a calming effect.

I am pleased to say that I can now distinguish an Asian elephant from an African elephant. Probably the easiest way is to look at the elephant's ears. If the ears are very large, floppy and shaped like the continent of Africa, yup, it's an African elephant. If the ears are smaller and shaped like the Indian Subcontinent, yup, its an Asian elephant. Other differences are the highest point of the animal's body. For Asian elephants, its the top of the head, for African elephants, it's the shoulder. Another difference is the little finger-like appendage at the end of the elephant's trunk. Asian elephants have one appendage on the top of the trunk, while African elephants have 2 appendages on both the top and bottom.

Apart from the educational value of our visit, it was something we will never forget. While at the center, we were able to feed, ride, and bathe with the elephants. The elephants were led from their free roaming area to where us visitors were. The adults were led into the river for a little bath while the babies were given nice showers with hoses.

We were then allowed to feed the elephants an assortment of watermelon, papaya, sugar cane, and bananas. The elephants were chained in place so we weren't worried about being accidentally trampled. Sammy found her favorite big guy and loved placing fruit on the end of his trunk for him to eat.

After snacktime, the first 100 visitors were able to take a ride on an elephant. Sammy rode with Bill and he made sure that she wouldn't fall off:

While the elephant rides were going on, a young 4 year old female elephant was brought out to mingle with everyone. She and Sammy became good friends:
The last activity on our elephant adventure was 'bathing' with the elephants. Sammy chose to watch from the riverbanks while Cory and I climbed onto an elephant, it walked forward a bit, and a command was shouted by one of the staff, and the elephant dropped over into the water, depositing us in as well.



Our visit with the elephants at Kuala Gandah was incredible and it was something we will never forget.

http://www.pahangtourism.com.my/tropical/attractions/kgandah.html