The elephant and me

In my previous article, I wrote intensively about the largest wildlife rescue center. It is where I got a chance to get closed to some animals and I love elephant the most. Google map of the center is here.

Animals or birds here in Cambodia are not friends with people. Why I said that? They eat most of them and those animals are kept in the center are the victims from humans. It is a rare opportunity to be able to take photos with them except domestic animals such as bull or cow. They would run away from as soon as they smell us.

 

Let me tell a brief story of this elephant I had a photo with, her name is Chamreoun, meaning the prosperity. 

Chamreoun (female elephant, aged 25 ), was roaming on the street #48 at Koh Kong province (Cardamom mountain) because her home was used for sugar cane plantation and she has no where to go. People threw battery acid on her in order to scare and chase her away so she doesn't trust human at all. People called Wildlife rescue team so she was sent to the park. You can get closed to her and touched her, give her food only by the mean of going with Behind the Scene tour only. She isn't allowed to be roaming outside of her cage in the park.

 

Fun facts about elephants if you don't know before:

• The way they said hello is to use their trunk blowing to your mouth. You can blow back 'Hello' into their trunk.
• If they want to communicate, they would make a "peep peep" sound
• Elephant with bigger eyes when you are around, they don't trust you at all
• Elephant with sleepy eyes when you are around trust you
• Big ears of the elephants are like a fan to cool them down. At some point, they collect sand in their trunk and send back on their back to cool them from the heat.
• Elephant sleeps standing (just their nature of big body - so they can escape from enemy easily) and they yawn too, they sleep about 4hours.
• Elephant can smell about 300ms around them, such as water source, humans... and so on..
• They also commemorate their death ones annually at the same place they died.
• There are about 300 muscles in their trunk and lift about 300l of water with that.
• Elephants eat about 200kg of food a day.
• Elephant's lifespan is almost the same with human (about 90ys), so their behavior and age is comparable to that of humans. Teenage children of elephants is like those of humans. 
• Elephants give birth to single child, after 24months of pregnancy. The kids are playful just like that of human 
• Female children stay in the group forever and male elephant will get away from their herd when they are teenagers.
• They have feeling just like us and the family never abandon their small children only if they have to.

Beliefs around elephants among Cambodian

• The single hair from the tail of elephant, brings prosperity so they would have it tailored in the ring and wear it all the time
• Women with no children or never pregnant before, walk 3 times under elephant's belly will make them have baby too. My 2nd cousin carried a baby after doing that 10 years ago.
• If elephants come to your house or stand on your land, it means it brings luck, joy and prosperity.