Happy Elephants
In Thailand an elephant is a symbol of happiness and beliefs. The ruts of their religion are in old Hindi legend which says that Ganesa, the son of god Siwa, was born when his father was absent.When one time Ganesa’s mother was taking a shower and he was guarding the door, Siwa came. Ganesa refused to let him in, what irritated Siwa and he cut of Ganesa’s head. When Siwa realized that it was his son, he wanted to replace his head with head of the first animal he met and that was an elephant. Since then the patron of Siwass god was shown as a men with elephant’s head.
In Thailand elephants are not only special because of religious aspect, but also they are used as the mean of transport. Since elephants are very smart and resistant animals, they are perfect to use for hard work. Nevertheless, Thai take a good care of them and make sure that their elephants are happy.
Moreover, everyone can try elephant’s riding. If you happen to be in Thailand, you can sign in for a elephant riding course organized by Anantara Golden Triangle. During the course you are not only trained how to ride on an elephant, but they will teach you understand the animal and know its nature. Indispensable part of the training is cleaning the animal and swimming in nearby Ruak river.
You will also find out how to feed the animal and learn useful commends like pai (go), bean (turn) or how (stop), so that the words will not only be understandable for the elephants, but also for you. After the training you will be able to take an exam and get original certificate made of elephant’s excrement. Don’t worry the paper is 100% safe and odorless.
