Elephant conservation center

Trip Start Sep 16, 2006
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Trip End Feb 28, 2008


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Flag of Thailand  ,
Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Did a Mahout training course with gemma in chang mai which involved learning how to contol elephants using commands and techniques..  I had my own elephant and Mahout for the time i was there and we stayed on site.  They have the worlds first elephant hospital within the grounds which was great to see..

Commands.(In Thai):
1) Song soong  = Get on from the side (Elephant lifts up his/her leg for you to climb up)
2) Hup soong  =  Get off from side (elephant does the same thing with his/ her leg)
3) Tag long  =  Get off from front of elephant. (Bring legs over the ears and tap feet on front of    head whilst saying tag long..  Elephant dips his/her head forward allowing you to slide off.  To get back on you jump back on its neck but the wrong way round then re-adjust when the elephant has stood back upright.)
4)Loog Khen (Ken)  = Stand up
5) Bai  = Go (moving your feet behind elephants ears)
6) Phae (pronounced Pay)  =  Come
7) Goy  =  Slow down
8) How!!  =  Stop (squeeze with your knees)
9) Nung (nang) long  = Sit down
10) Non long  =  Lie down.. (loog khen to stand back up)
11) Map long  =  Sit on belly.. (said befor non long)
12) Benn  =  Turn (moving opposite foot side)
13) Sok  =  Walk backwards
14) Geb bon  =  Pick up.

I mastered all the commands by the last day which was ace and she listened to me..  I must have had the biggest elephant out of everyone so getting on and off proved very difficult at time i can tell you.. 

Daily Routine.

06.30am     Go to the jungle to bring back elephant to the center (they sleep and eat there.  Get to bath them i the river on the way back too which was hilarious)
08.00am     Breakfast
09.00am     Training in the show ground (practicing commands and getting a feal for it)
10.00am     Perform in the daily show with all the other elephants.  (Tourists come everyday to see the elephant conservation center where they can see the hospital, go on a ride and see the elephant show which happens twice a day..  We were part of the show everyday both times which was fantastic..  We had to stand in formation and then perform our new su\kills infront of the tourist.. A few of us on route to our elephants
A few of us on route to our elephants
 soo cool.
11.00am    Tour around site (hospital, baby elephant compound (4 months old, very cute indeed)
12.00pm    Lunch
13.00        Practicing commands
14.00       Show time
15.00       Ride elephants back to the jungle to sleep.  On the way bathe them in the river.
18.00       Cooking time
19.00       Dinner time...

So as you can see the day is quite full and great fun...  Had an amazing time there with gemma, but unfortunatly it was to be our last adventure together as a team... :(

Thats it for now, will add pics soon (i have 170)!!!!

Sneeky, squeeky, arr trace, steve, beekatron, sneve... xxx
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