Elephants+ fantastic= Elefantastic!
In Jaipur, a lot of things are fantastic, especially in the Jaipur Elephant Village!
We went to the Jaipur Elephant Village to experience an Asian elephant’s afternoon at a program called Elefantastic. When we arrived at the the Elephant Village, we were greeted by Rahul, the founder of the program.
Elefantastic was made so people can interact and participate in an elephant’s every day life. You are taught how to approach the elephant, feed it and get to know its personality. You build a trusting relationship and gain a better understanding of how wonderful elephants are. It’s also a place where you know the elephants are well taken care of.
The most important part of the program is Rahul’s approach to conservation. In Africa, the government promoted conservation by turning the animals’ habitats into national parks so people will not poach. Rahul is encouraging conservation by letting people experience the animal as a friend and never think of it as a trophy.
The village was made as a safe place for the elephants. Rahul owns 24 Asian elephants that he either rescued or were born in captivity.
Elephants are very intelligent and social animals who love attention and food. The first thing we needed to do was get to know our new friends. Mikhaila and I shared one named Lakshmi and our parents had one named Biri. They remember people by their smell so we had to stand very close to their trunks. We had to feed them, talk to them, look into their eyes, and pet their trunks. Our elephant, Lakshmi, was really hungry so she kept taking Biri’s food!
After feeding and getting to know the elephants, we painted beautiful designs on them. We used paint made out of water and fine rock dust that is good for elephant and human skin. The paint is also used for an Indian holiday called Holi where people throw colours at each other. Biri’s rider painted traditional designs on our elephants with a brush made out of bamboo. We coloured them in with very vibrant colours which looked beautiful.
When we finished painting, we had to give them water because they were very thirsty. We put a hose at the end of their trunk and they filled it up like a cup. When they filled up their trunk, they put it in their mouth and drank from it. It was incredible to see how much water they could drink!
After a long drink, our elephants were ready for riding! Their rider climbs up their trunks to get the saddles onto their backs. We did not mount the elephants like that. Instead, we climbed onto a tall platform and sat on them. It reminded me of riding the camels in Morocco! At first, I felt like I was going to fall off, but after a while I got used to it and started taking some photos.
At the end of the ride, when you dismount the elephants, they kneel down and you have to quickly slide off. The elephants do not like to stay in this position for a long time, so if you don’t get off fast enough, you will be going for another ride!
We saw African elephants when we went on our game drive in Tanzania which are bigger than Asian elephants. The Asian elephants seemed bigger, but maybe that was because we were standing beside them!
Each elephant has a large room for sleeping and one rider for life. The rider takes care of the elephant and lives next door to them as part of their family.
We had a fantastic time doing elefantastic in the Elephant Village! Rahul made us all feel welcomed and one of his staff members even drove us to his mother’s house for a delicious meal.
I have decided that along with my dog, sheep, pig, and zebra, I would love to have an elephant as a pet!
Comments
14 responses to “Elephantastic!”
Hi Katina and the family,
Missing you all.
Katina, be careful, when you get back to Canada, Zoe plans to have a dog, sheep, pig, zebra and an elephant as pets. You are just half way through in your RTW trip. By the time you reach Canada, I am sure, she will add frogs, lizards, snakes, tortoise, alligators, kangaroos, bears, too in the list. You should requisition the Canadian government to let her be the master of an international zoo.
And of course, Mikhaila has to build some palaces, forts, castles, etc where we will be hosted.
With best wishes
RAVI & ANJU
Hi!
That list of animals sounds great… Maybe not the snake, or the frog… Instead of the lizard, maybe I will get a chameleon!
Hi Ravi,
My dad said he’s going to buy a farm for all of the animals Zoe want to acquire…I will make him keep this promise, as I’m sure our city bylaws will not allow such a menagerie! We already have plans for a castle in the backyard, so you’ll have an amazing place to stay when you’re in Canada!
Cheers,
Kat:)
I am glad that the elephants are being looked after so well. When I first saw the painted elephants, I thought they were tattoos on their bodies…glad to know they weren’t. You all learned so much from this, yet again, remarkable experience. You are now experts on how to mount camels and elephants. When you are in Australia though, all you need to do is go into a Kangaroo’s pouch. EASY! Then again…
Zoi, I think it is time for your family to move out to the country. Sounds like you will need lots of open space for all the pets you plan to have. By the way, you forgot to mention the camel.
Hi!
I am not exactly sure how easy it is to ride a kangaroo… But I can try!
OOPS! Zoe, I spelled your name the Greek way in the last post. Guess your blog took me to another part of the world. Love you all, and pray that you continue to travel safely, meeting more wonderful people along the way.
Hi Zoe,
This is a fabulous post!!!!I love the pictures!!!! Could you feel that they bonded with you? Did they try to nudge you or snuggle up to you?
They look magnificent in their vibrant colours!!! Love Baba
Hi!
Each of the elephants had different personalities…
Lakshmi was very easygoing and happy while Biri loved attention. When my dad looked over at Mikhaila and I, Biri would nudge him to say “Hey, your supposed to look at me!” 🙂
Wow Zoë, this was an enjoyable read! And great pics too! The elephant is my favourite animal. I’ll be a frequent visitor to your home if you get one as a pet
Hi!
I love elephants too! 🙂 If I have one as a pet, I might have to move somewhere warmer than Canada because the winters are way too cold for them! 🙂
Talk about getting up close and personal! Very lucky indeed. Elephants are so passive and friendly and obviously they got to know you all very well. Travel safely, Love Teta Doreen xoxo
HI!
You are right! Elephants are very friendly and passive. They are also very smart and have great memory so if you meet and elephant once, they can still remember you 5 years later all by your smell. I wish I had a memory like they do! 🙂
We loved the paintings on your elephants. We would like to go there too, one day. The people there are so welcoming, even inviting you over to have a meal at their mother’s house. I hope you had a nice ride on the elephants. The elephants are sooooooooo cute!
from the Intermediate Class 🙂
I have never heard of painting elephants. That sounds like an amazing experience.