Ladies and Gentlemen, Lawan has left the building!
...at 4.30 this morning, under a nearly full red moon Pang Yom, Pang Janpen, Pang Wandi and Pang Lawan, four superstars, climbed aboard ancient Mercedes trucks and went home.
Well actually, elephants being elephants and mahouts being mahouts we started at 4.30 and the first truck pulled out of camp and into the gloaming, just as the mahout students for the day were gathering in the Lobby. The writing has been on the wall for some time, the stated aim for the Government's involvement in the camp was to train a team of mahouts and elephants for high quality guest interaction and the powers that be decided back in December that, after three years, if they haven't learned now they never will.
I actually like to think that we trained the guests for a little indigenous mahout interaction.
So now we have a young and exciting camp, made up of elephants in or below their twenties, mostly rescued from the streets and with all sorts of tricks up their sleeves to take the mahout training to another level. Watch the website over the next few weeks for the biographies of Pang Booer Tong, Pang Makam and Pang Yui - Boun Na, of course, has been here ever since Yom retired.
The end of an era and a new dawn, despite the TECC elephants going to a good home and presenting me with the chance to rescue more elephants to replace them - and to upgrade the Mahout Training Course, I am still sad to see them go and wish them all the luck in the world - I've a feeling I'll be finding frequent excuses to visit Lampang over the next few months.
Well actually, elephants being elephants and mahouts being mahouts we started at 4.30 and the first truck pulled out of camp and into the gloaming, just as the mahout students for the day were gathering in the Lobby. The writing has been on the wall for some time, the stated aim for the Government's involvement in the camp was to train a team of mahouts and elephants for high quality guest interaction and the powers that be decided back in December that, after three years, if they haven't learned now they never will.
I actually like to think that we trained the guests for a little indigenous mahout interaction.
So now we have a young and exciting camp, made up of elephants in or below their twenties, mostly rescued from the streets and with all sorts of tricks up their sleeves to take the mahout training to another level. Watch the website over the next few weeks for the biographies of Pang Booer Tong, Pang Makam and Pang Yui - Boun Na, of course, has been here ever since Yom retired.
The end of an era and a new dawn, despite the TECC elephants going to a good home and presenting me with the chance to rescue more elephants to replace them - and to upgrade the Mahout Training Course, I am still sad to see them go and wish them all the luck in the world - I've a feeling I'll be finding frequent excuses to visit Lampang over the next few months.
Posted by John Roberts at Sat, 03 Mar 2007 10:31:00 GMT 
Categories: Golden Triangle Elephants, Thailand Elephants
Categories: Golden Triangle Elephants, Thailand Elephants
John,So sorry .I loved Wandee .I hope all goes well for them all.I hate full moons.Perry.
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Yes, she is a great ele.
Well, they all were and were the starting crew for the camp so I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment with new elephants standing in their places in the big Ban Chang.
But we know she's going to a good home at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre where she'll be well looked after and not forced to work hard (not quite as well fed as when she was here!).
Thanks
John
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