One of my favorite memories of the time we spent at Thai Elephant Conservation Center is playing with a baby elephant;a seven month old,cute, hairy elephant.
At the conservation center, baby elephants stay with their moms for the first three years, before they start their training. I was amazed to see the baby suckling from his mom using his mouth rather than his trunk. The trunk has tens of thousands of muscles(can't remember the exact number) and it takes time to train them all to do what they are supposed to do. We tried handing the baby some sugarcane leaves in his trunk, and it was a hit and miss;sometimes it grabbed, sometimes it didn't. This reminds me of another fun thing about elephants anatomy; their teeth are located on each side of their back jaws and not in their mouth per se. We were able to place food directly in our elephants mouths(just for fun really) without worrying about getting bitten-not that while you are trusting your life to a three ton beast you would be worrying about a bite.
One of the first things that surprised me when I saw the baby elephant was how hairy he was! There is a lot of hair all over the body. Adult Asian elephants have hair too, but it seems like mostly on the head area, which is very cute I think.
The baby elephant was full of energy, and he was running all over the place and trying to jump over the fence to play with us,we were instructed to poke him to keep him from "climbing" the fence. The baby elephant was the cutest thing ever! And then of course the mom was getting excited as her youngster was, and I was not sure if she was trying to play too or of she was trying to protect her baby.It was a lot fun feeding them and interacting with them.
Related posts:
TECC:Getting there and first impressions.
TECC:Fun,Food and Relaxation.
Comments (7)
Wow! What a neat experience.
Posted by Amy | July 15, 2009 5:22 AM
Posted on July 15, 2009 05:22
Hi Candi, how fun! That cute little hairy baby elephant is so adorable and seems to really enjoy playing with you and your husband. Interesting fact about all the muscles in their trunks. Looks like you and your husband are really enjoying the little guy (or girl).
Great photos! Thank you so much for the very enjoyable read this morning Candi. Have a great day today.
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | July 15, 2009 6:25 AM
Posted on July 15, 2009 06:25
What an amazing experience. He is soooo adorable! I think that hair is cute too; reminds me of kitten hair before it turns sleek. Did he have a name?
Posted by Annie | July 15, 2009 6:51 AM
Posted on July 15, 2009 06:51
That baby elephant is just adorable! I would love to play with him!
Posted by nancyhol | July 15, 2009 10:04 AM
Posted on July 15, 2009 10:04
Annie, he did have a name, but I can't think if it to save my life:(
Posted by candi | July 15, 2009 12:46 PM
Posted on July 15, 2009 12:46
Candi, the baby is so adorable! I love that fuzz all over him/her -- as Annie says, it reminds me of the fuzziness of little kittens before their hair grows out.
It must have been so much fun playing with the baby, even with a very large and protective Mom nearby!
Posted by sandrac | July 19, 2009 2:37 PM
Posted on July 19, 2009 14:37
What fun! I was able to feed an elephant carrots once at the Honolulu Zoo. I will never forget the feeling of the wetness of the end of the trunk. It must have been so cool to be able to play with this baby elephant!
Posted by girasoli | August 24, 2009 2:51 AM
Posted on August 24, 2009 02:51