Elephants in Thailand

The Save Elephant Foundation is a non-profit organization that works hard to protect Thailand’s elephant population. The wild elephants in Thailand are Asian Elephants, and over the last century or so their numbers have dropped from over 100,000 to perhaps as low as 1,000. This has been caused by a combination of habitat loss and poaching. Their tusks and skin can fetch large sums of money although female Asian elephants do not have tusks at all. Asian elephants are smaller than their African cousins and stand between 7 and 10 feet tall and weigh 6,000 to 11,000 pounds. Even so, they are the largest land animal in Asia. They have two humps on their head and small tusks. Also, Asian elephants have small folded ears whereas African elephants have large, billowing ears. Finally, their skin is not so wrinkled because they tend to live in wetter climates. They are very social animals and live in groups led by a female – this is called a matriarchal group. She is usually the oldest and leads a group of around 20 other females. The leader of this particular group is called Kham Lha. The female leader knows where the food and water in the local area are found and guides the rest of her group.

A Touching Reunion

In the video we see Darrick, who has worked with the elephants but has been away for over a year, calling to the herd. They are making their way up a river and begin by casually walking toward him. Elephants love water, they spray themselves with a mixture of mud and water to help protect themselves from parasites and the sun. At first, the elephants don’t seem to recognize him but then they speed up and you can hear them trumpeting back to him! As the herd gets closer, you can hear his shouts and the elephants’ trumpeting replies – it is like an exciting conversation between friends who have not seen each other for ages! Eventually, the pals are reunited and they gather around their human friend, wrapping their trunks around him as he strokes and talks to them. This truly is the most tear-jerking scene as more of the elephants race down the river to join in the reunion. It’s clear that Darrick is just as pleased to see them as they are to see him!

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