Elephants

Had to add something more on elephants in Thailand.... i was lucky enough to go to a variety of different elephant establishments...

They absolutely amazed me with the different types of work they could do. Some elephants tight roped, rode bikes ( I'm serious they had an elephant sized tricycle), hula hooped, danced, skipped, shot basketballs, threw darts that could actually hit the target, sit and wave, carry you with their trunks and on there backs,they bowed and could even jump over people lying on the ground, some still worked traditionally on farms etc a living tractors so to speak, even used for pulling rafts up rivers. all this was achieved with out any restraints or whips and the like.

i was impressed with the animals gentle natures and also their willingness it seemed to work. They were obviously incredibly smart.

Since coming home Ive often thought about what i saw there with the elephants. I often wondered if any of the training principles could be crossed over to horses....i was so impressed....i wish horses were half as smart sometimes...

some of what i saw was sad and at one place the elephants were obviously thin, and chained very short so they couldn't escape tourists....the first photos are of theses elephants.....yet even these elephants seemed happy to perform.....although i felt very sorry for them