Woolly says – Happy New Year to you all, our celebrations had been most enjoyable, I mean how can you go wrong with a beach, live music, lights, fireworks and a few drinks to welcome in the next year of our lives. The morning wasn’t so great, Zoe had managed little or no sleep due to fireworks going off all night, Jo and I woke up with our colds having spent the night wiping trunks and noses and the heat already making my fur stick together before I had even moved form my bed. We did however have places to go and the girls had barely stopped talking about their excitement for the day ahead, I was already fed up of hearing the word elephant, I mean they have a mammoth what more could they want!
We might have a mammoth but there was no chance of bathing him unlike the elephants we would be meeting later.
Woolly says – I’ve always said that bathing was overrated. Our driver was waiting at the gate and it was a welcome relief to climb into the air conditioned car, we set off towards the beach and before I knew it had pulled up outside a shop, maybe he was buying snack for me, no problem with that. Instead he asked if we would like to celebrate the start of the year with a traditional Sri Lanican drink, I was ready to bounce out of the vehicle, I mean if it’s free why not! Zoe soon put paid to that having asked what the drink actually was, bearing in mind she doesn’t drink anything hot except chocolate, coconut milk came the answer, I settled back down on my seat knowing what was coming next.
We apologised and thanked him before explaining that I had an allergy to coconut in any shape or form, but we were happy for him to go and have his, we sat and waited in the car.
Woolly says – Ten minutes passed before he returned, started the car and we were finally off. Mile after mile went by as Zoe dosed and Jo and I stared in fascination at the millions of palm trees, rubber trees, Buddha’s and cows. The constant overtaking of tuk tuks meant our driver beeping each time, I waved as we passed each one until my paw started to hurt. Several hours passed and just as I was starting to feel a bit bored and Jo had told me that I couldn’t have any more snacks we pulled into a driveway. ‘Pineapple plantation’ our man said, oooooo I thought that makes great snack material and I’m sure she can’t be that mean to not allow me a treat. I climbed onto the sandy drive and looked around me, some tall trees waved gently in the breeze high above my head and I peered up trying to spot the pineapples before Jo nudged me and pointed at the bushes on ground level with their spikey delights, who knew pineapples grew on the ground! I looked around eagerly for a sampling table, but none seemed to be in evidence and as everyone else was already getting back into the car it appeared my treat wasn’t going to happen.
I was a bit disappointed to be fair, but the delight fruit wasn’t in season and still had several more months of growing to do so our chance to try wasn’t going to happen today.
Woolly says – Onwards we went, the roads getting bendier and bendier and the view becoming dense jungle, so many different green colours to look at and such a variety of trees, I really could do with an I Spy book of trees to help in being able to identify them all. Arriving at an intersection the driver asked how much we wanted to pay for our elephant experience, I scratched my head and looked at my companions who looked somewhat bemused, Zoe was the first to speak, ‘Hmm we were told that everything was included in the price’, the driver shook his head ‘No’ he said, ‘only my driving’. I watched the women’s faces knowing they weren’t happy, Jo piped up ‘We did ask twice if the price included everything and they said yes’ she tried. ‘No’ he said, ‘I’ll ring the office’, he dialled the number and spoke to someone before passing the phone to Zoe (Jo is so full of cold she can barely hear so wasn’t going to be much use on the communication front). Zoe spoke for a few minutes before going very quiet and handing the phone back. It appeared that we were having to pay the extra and that we would be going into complain tomorrow, I think I might be busy then.
We put a brave face on the situation and decided to get on with enjoying the day.
Woolly says – As I climbed out of the car I glanced around but failed to spot a single elephant, I crossed my paws that the women weren’t going to be disappointed and followed them through an archway and down a slope, before I could blink Jo was racing ahead, taking her boots off and wading out into the river towards an elephant. I sat on the riverbank watching as she spent the next half an hour washing an elephant called Pooja who had been born at the orphanage when her mother had been taken in following an accident where she had broken her leg and couldn’t work anymore. It was rather pleasant watching the huge animals bobbing up and down in the water and just as I was starting to relax the largest elephant I had seen passed next to me, she paused and looked down at my small shape before lifting her trunk and spurting water high into the air, not to be outdone I dipped my trunk into the flowing brown water and squirted a stream across the bank, my new friend did the same, it appeared we had much in common in our ability to soak humans. We passed a most pleasurable time together as Rani, as she was called, told me that she had once lived outside a Hindu temple and had been rescued and brought to the foundation to be looked after, her favourite hobby was soaking people and she was very good at it, we squirted some more.
All to soon it was Zoe’s turn to wade out and wash Pooja’s Mother, Lakshmi, as I sat and watched. My small friend seemed delighted to be playing games with his new chum as I chuckled to myself thinking of his ‘allergy’ to water which didn’t seem to be affecting his game.
Woolly says – Water in the trunk is one thing, anywhere else and it could be dangerous! It appeared that bath time was over and as the girls dried themselves off I wandered into the museum area to learn more. The Millennium Elephant Foundation (MEF) was founded in 1999 by the Samarasinghe family, the family had owned elephants since the 1960’s and in 1979 Mr Sam Samarasinghe opened the estate to the public, on his death the foundation was formed to continue to improve the treatment of elephants in Sri Lanka by providing a place of medical services and facilities for abused and orphaned elephants. The information told me about how it’s current residents had come to be here, the stories were of beatings and cruelty and overwork for these delightful beasts. Several of the animals were still owned by farmers and the foundation paid them a monthly amount in lieu of them mistreating there animals so that they could live a calm and natural life.
I joined my small companion as we discussed the handlers or mahout as they are known, a profession that is handed down through the family each mahout has his own elephant and they stay together for life…… now that’s a job I wouldn’t mind.
Woolly says – She has a mammoth and if she wants me to tell everyone that’s she’s a mahout then I have no problem with that! Having read about the way in which the elephants have special commands and points on there body which when touched will make them carry out commands and wondered if it would work for Jo, a small stick on her legs might make her go faster!! The next part of our experience was to ride the wonderful animals, it looked slightly dangerous, so I settled myself comfortably whilst the women climbed aboard. The foundation provides a blanket to cover the elephants back instead of the better known chair, known as the howdah, which is the usual tourist method of providing transportation, although these have been used for many centuries they are cruel to the lovely creatures and can cause lifelong injury to the internal organs, not to mention allowing one elephant to carry many many people which wouldn’t seem fair at all.
It wasn’t the comfiest experience and I have to say that elephants have very bony shoulders, but it was wonderful none the less and as we climbed down and patted our lovely elephant, I wondered if there was any chance of getting her into the car….. we could leave the mammoth in exchange!
Woolly says – Wonderful they might be but nowhere near as cute as myself! Having thanked the mahout and waved to all the incredible elephants we took our leave and set off once more in search of a tooth, not sure why we need a tooth when I have such wonderful tusks but then I live with two strange females where there is never much sense.