Here is the video of the tourist in the mahout training course getting off her elephant from different way. Actually we call " tag long" and the elephant will bend their head touch the ground and then the mahout can jump off. Prachaub is one of our elephant that always makes me laugh as she is sitting down and the mahout can slide off from her back..

Kaew is one of elephant best elephant for the mahout training course as he is only one tusk elephant in the course, other elephants for the course we use is the female elephants and tuskless elephant like Jojo or Somchai, because it's said the tuskless elephants or female elephants are more gentle than the tusk elephant.. Kaew is also one of elephant who perform perfect painting and best selling painting at the camp as well as Srisiam.

Here is the ever youngest tourists at the mahout training course, Anita ' s family joined the two day mahout training course at Thai Elephant Conservation Center. They are 3, 7 and 9 years old as Hunter is too young for the training course any way. Having very good time with elephant, Kaew is the elephant of Nicolas , Wanna is the elephant of Tanisha and Sri siam is elephant for Hunter.. They are very lovely family from Australia. This mahout training course is very good for the family group as well, because it's greatest experience with elephant. Especially the chance to get close to the elephants in their country is very minimal or you only have a chance to see them in the zoo which bring you away from the elephant. Our elephants here are greatest, they are very happy to be with the tourists, because they can get the food to eat and at night they can stay in the forest.. I wish that in the future there will be a lot of family group in the course..

Just keep trying the features of brand new camera in Macro mode. One of my favorite picture is close up photo of one elephant named " Prachaub" What is the name of picture? Hungry eye or banana eye, because Prachaub she really loves to eat banana and so every elephants do love banana. And today I just finish installation of new photo gallery of the tourists who join the 3 day mahout training course, I hope when you guy take a look those pictures, it will stimulate you to be back again.

Thanks from Prachaub and Supat

Yesterday as I took the tourist who participate in the Mahout Training Course on 25-27 September to visit the baby elephant who arrive from Chiang Mai at the Elephant Hospital. That baby elephant was born in Chiang Mai in remote area arrival at the hospital about 2 months now, because his mother did have enough milk for her second baby. So the owner brought both of his elephant to the Elephant hospital in order to the vet can take care of this baby. So the Elephant Hospital got a lot of human-made milk for very kind Thai Donor.

We almost left the baby elephant, I found that baby is eating the dung of his mother. And It's said that the baby elephants they will eat the dung of their mother, because the dung will stimulate or improve the digestion system of the baby one. It seems true, because in the is picture that baby really enjoy eating the dung of his mom..

Yummy!!!

This baby elephant is very lucky to under care of our vet at the hospital who know how to nurse the new born baby elephant. Because I was told by the vet at the hospital that the new born baby elephant have to drink the milk of their mother within 8-12 hours otherwise if it 's long the baby elephant will be come very weak.

Third day test drive on new camera in movie video of baby elephant of Pumpaung today as she is feeding second baby in the morning about seven o'clock. AI is unofficial name of the 7months old at the camp, he is very cute and stubborn.

Just finish moving data of the website to the new server today.. As I hope all my friends and elephant lover can access the homepage easier. This week I just work very hard in 3 things at the same time. Once is to be as the coordinator of tourists at the mahout training course, second thing is to back up all data and transfer to new host server and the last thing is to be the administrator to reply all emails of the tourists who is going to join our course in the future..But I grabbed my new compact camera and take the pictures of the elephants, the tiredness is disappeared.  Especially I hugged my favored elephant " Prachaub" I feel that she loves me too..

Wanalee is one of the very clever elephant at the camp, as she can perform many show like putting the hat on the mahout 's head, beating the drum and walking on the log. There is one thing that she really love to do is to stand on the log and poop. I hope some day that I can capture that picture..

Just very quick decision on purchasing new camera.. It 's pretty smart and incredible camera with very long zoom. Image result is more than my expectation. The brandname is Canon Powershot S5 IS the newest sensor and technology of Canon with newest image processor.

Here is a couple shots of today and you will enjoy more photo later..

The camp area for the top of the mountain shot...

Elephant Family shot after getting off the bus..

Prachaub is the latest elephant who finish bathing in the morning as she is very happy when she goes to the pool by herself without the mahout on her neck.. Nut just let his elephant a lone, because he knows that his elephant are very happy in the water and his elephant will come back when his elephant finishes bathing..

Just take the camera for our friend and then take some shots of elephant bathing in the morning as Prachaub is going to bath by her own self and Areena, Oon is get washed from her mahout.. It's lovely day, because the rain was just gone and very cloudy sky..

Thank you very much for joining us the mahout training course at Thai Elephant Conservation Center.. now they are still in the course and they will leave the camp tomorrow.. Having the good time with elephant at the camp.. Look khang is the elephant of Joe, Wanna is elephant of Cindy and Prathida is the elephant of Cassandra..

Elephant bathing, Helen, John, Prathida, Areena, Nau Oon and other elephants in the pool at the first bathing of the day... Helen has been joining the mahout training course about 2 times and she loves her elephant  is Prathida...

• One elephant eats about 8 -12 % of body weigh or 200 Kilogram of food every day
  
  
• An adult elephant requires about 140 - 200 liters per day
  
  
• Major foods for elephants are leaf, plants, stick and grass

As the the night the elephant puts the mud or dust on their body, like in this movie  john is cleaning his elephant in the morning.. and other tourists are behind him to wash his elephant.. All elephants are very happy to be in the water, because the Asian elephants love cool weather..

Simon from England has been visiting the Thai Elephant Conservation Center for his second time... Joining the mahout training course for second time.. Jojo is the best elephant of him.. As we hope that he will be back some day... Thank for loving us and elephant as we are looking forward to meet you all again in the future..

Here is the greatest artist of the world, 27 years old, fattest, greediest and piggiest elephant who enjoys playing xylophone. As she keeps flapping her ears and moving the tail, it shows you that she is very happy and healthy elephant..

I still believe that there are  a lot of wild elephants in Thailand and the numbers of them is quit stable not like the Domestic elephants which decreasing seriously, because breeding is very minimal and their habitat are reduced by human..



In this Video I just post it as one of the tourists who join the mahout training course about last month, they went for day trip at Khao Yai National Park just about 3 or 4 hours from Bangkok, they met this wild elephants when they returned from the park and found those elephants are crossing the street.. It 's the greatest opportunity to meet those wild elephants in person.

Thanks for visiting this site..

Today I woke up about 06:00 Am. with sleepy head and rush to meet the tourists at home stay accommodation.. Oh god!!! This is great time on the bed with slight rains kept falling.. after that yelling at the home stay " Go go  go go " and then blow the horn of the scooter "pannnnnnnnnnnnn" then every body are gathering around and then met the mahouts and pick some sugarcane for the elephants.. and then there is a tour group who stay at the elephant resort joins us for feeding the elephants in the forest.. Every body looks very sheer full. As we are walking into the forest, Prachaub is hiding behind the bush and no body know that she is there.. and then when she moves every body screaming because of being scared by Prachaub.. All mahouts are laughing at them. Then I gave Prachaub the banana and she just swallows that  a couple hand of banana in one second. The mahout told me that Prachaub she is waiting for us to give her banana for the pass to other elephants up the mountain..She is gorgeous in the camp.

I love you Prachaub!!
Supat Sutti

Ps. Sorry for the photo I did not have camera to capture that picture for you..
 

We requires about 8-10 tourists as maximum in the mahout training course in each time. Due to we have limited number of elephants who can work with the tourist..

This pictures as the mahout of Areena " Krasian" is washing his elephant in the morning.. Now Areena or May is very cute and active and greedy.. She is very well -  trained and cared by the mahout of her. Every day she goes to the show ground and perform the elephant show with other elephants like in this picture she is in the pool with other elephants in bathing show...

Now IA is about 6 months old born on March 4 this year by Artificial insemination by the vet team at Thai Elephant Conservation Center.. As his mom refused to look after him at the first time so the vet decided to find other step mother to look after him. Pumpaung is the right elephant to be step mother of AI.. This couple are very well cared by  the mahout " Tawon and Mr. Moo"  AI is feed by the extra mixed milks 4 times every day.. Every day he is very happy with his step mom... So we are very lucky that we have new member of the elephant at the camp.

Pumpaung is one of our greatest elephant at the camp, her first baby is " Areena" one of our cutest elephant at the camp which is very special elephant, because we was adopted and named by King Sister as Areena was born as same day as her adopter.

Love me love my baby elephant!!

Abstract elephant painting is today presented by Prachaub.. What does it look like? Banana? Sugarcane, Corn or Peanut.. Can you tell me? Prachuab is one of wonderful elephant for painting.. She can not paint the flower nor elephant.. But many tourists love her painting, because it from her imagination...

Third time in the mahout training course at Thai Elephant Conservation Center with the same elephant " Jojo" Alan he is from France who fall in love in the elephant has kept joining our mahout training course for 3 time.. Alan at the first visit at the camp in the training he could not speak English very well, but this time he is very good in English.. He is very friendly and really love his elephant...

Thanks all you guys all keep visiting the elephant at Thai Elephant Conservation Center..



lan is cleaning his elephant in the morning..

This picture I took it by the camera of Alan who join our three day mahout training course starting today as Prathida is scratching her bud, because it 's very ichy after taking the bath in this morning and our tourist is still on Prathida 's neck..

One event in particular in the history of war elephants has fascinated and preoccupied people through the ages is Hannibal march over the Alps. This took place during the century-long power struggle between the advancing land power of Rome and the sea and trading nation of Carthage, rulers of western Mediterranean. The traders of Carthage for a great number of years had known the giant animals with trunks. Forest elephants lived in the wild, in large wooded areas of the coastal region of northern Africa. Their Ivory made them prized game animals.

The idea to tame elephants did not occur until after Alexander the Great's Indian campaign when the young Diadochi Kingdom armed themselves with elephants. Carthaginian mercenary units had learned of the fighting strength of war elephants during Pyrrhus' campaign in Sicily.

Asian elephants live in a matriarch family group or herd. This herd is lead by the oldest female and there are no adult males in the group other than junior elephants.

Once a male elephant reaches adulthood they leave the herd to lead a solitary life in the forest. They only meet the females when they mate. The female leader knows from experience where to find food, water and salt licks. An adult female weighs approximately 3000-5000 kg, and must eat approximately 150 kg of food a day and drink approximately 70 liters of water a day.

For these reasons the elephants must have a large area of forest to roam in, to allow for the regrowth of the forest in the areas they have already frequented On average the Asian elephant lives to 65-70 years old. Adult elephants have 6 sets of molar teeth they get their last set at 45. After the last set has ground down they can not find soft food and starvation is a common cause of death.

One of the beliefs of Buddhism is reincarnation. So the Buddha also had to pass through a series of reincarnations on the long road to ever more greatness of soul, until finally, after a complete unification and purification he was granted enlightenment.

In one story the lord Buddha was incarnated as Chaddanta, the legendary snow-white elephant. He had six tusks and led a herd of 8000 animals, endowed with various miraculous powers and the ability to fly. Chaddanta had two wives. Consumed by the desire for importance, one of them asked the gods if she could be reborn as a princess.

Her wish was granted and she became the wife of the King of Benares. She told her new husband that he should go hunting for an elephant with six tusks she wanted to possess. Sonuttara the huntsmen found the elephant and wounded him and them caught him in a pit. The elephant begged for mercy, but when he found out that it was the Queen that had instigated the hunt, he submitted to his fate and even helped the hunter cut off his tusks then fell dead.

In both the wild and captivity an elephant is considered old at 60 years old and are easily recognizable to us by their wrinkled skin and the sunken in areas around the temples and eyes. It has been known for elephants in the wild live to 70 or 80.

The lifespan of an elephant depends on its surroundings as it does with any animal. If we consider that their habitats are getting smaller and of worse quality this does not bode well for the elephants.

Elephants get 6 sets of teeth in their lifetime. Once the last set of teeth are ground down starvation becomes the way of life until death occurs as the elephant finds it difficult to find food. So when the herd finds fresh soft food the old elephant may stay behind unable to keep up and unwilling to move from the soft vegetation. Eventually even this vegetation becomes too hard and the elephant dies. It seems that if this vegetation is maintained then other older elephants will have the same idea as the first. It is for this reason that people believe the false tale of some deep sided canyon where elephants go to die.

Elephants are herd animals. In the wild they live in families which keep close bonds despite covering large areas of land looking for food. They have a stable social order of family and extended family groups unmatched in the world of mammals. Experienced mother elephants that lead, protect and train the young.

The Elephant Matriarchy

Elephant life is governed by a matriarch (the top female herd leader); in a family and clan, all authority is vested in experienced mother elephants who demand respect and are acknowledged as herd leaders. They alone protect and lead the young; they maintain order and harmony in the group; they face the foe with courage and aggression. The large proud bulls also play a role in providing security, but they are not inclined to family life. They go their own way for long periods traveling alone or with groups of other males only to join at mating times with the females.

The core group is the family group, which consists of two to three older females and their offspring this group stays together even in large migratory herds.

Family groups usually number up to 20 or 30 animals of different ages. The leaders are usually sisters, who retain their association for life.

According to a further legend, Buddha spent a previous earthly existence as a son of a king before he was reborn to the final life as savior. When he was born in this earlier incarnation, a flying cow elephant added a young white elephant to his father's bond elephants. From that time onwards there was never any shortage of rain in the land. Year by year the fields brought forth a rich harvest and the people enjoyed general well being.

When the prince was grown up there was a devastating drought in a neighboring country. In their need, the starving people beseeched the gentle prince to send them the rain-bestowing white elephant. Near to hid future enlightenment, the prince had already sensed his sacred mission of redeeming the world. Inspired by pity for all beings and already free from the worldly desires off self-interest, he granted the request in "the perfect joy of giving." However, the loss of the white elephant led to drought and misery in his own land. The people grumbled so the king was forced to banish his son who, in his immeasurable goodness, had forfeited the prosperity of the land.

Reproductive Organs Males

The male's testicles are permanently located inside the body, near the kidneys. The penis, in a fully-grown male is long (up to 100 cm long and a diameter of 16cm at its base) and has the ability to move in all directions. This ability is very important as the female's vagina is underneath her body. When fully erect the penis is "s" shaped.

Females

Unlike bovines (e.g. cows) or equines (e.g. horses) the vulva opening is not located under the tail but between the elephants hind legs. The canal is very long between opening and ovaries about 70-90cm.

Because the abdominal cavity of an elephant is so large, it can easily conceal a pregnancy, as the fetus can occupy the space between the digestive organs and the pelvis.

The mammary glands (breasts) are located between the forelegs, which enables the mother to maintain contact and provide protection during feeding.

Non pregnant or non-nursing females have shrunken breasts and shriveled breasts, which point downwards. In late pregnancy, the glands swell and the nipples go diagonally downward, enabling the newborn calf to reach them more easily.

Like all mammals, elephants have a bilaterally symmetrical muscle system - with few exceptions, muscles found on one side are also found on the other. An elephants muscular system is relatively easy to understand, mostly because the structures are so large.

The muscles are divided into two main types: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary attach mostly onto the skeleton and are employed at will (only when you want to use them). Involuntary occur without thought or command at either regular intervals (such as the heart muscles) or when needed (such as the digestive system muscles). An elephant's body has 394 skeletal muscles.

Unlike humans and many mammals the elephant can not rotate its "forearm": the "hand" stays in a fixed position with the "palm of the hand" facing backwards. This is one of the defining factors to the proboscides (elephant family).

Elephants Used In War
The size of elephants was a major inspiration for soldiers, especially within a culture, which emphasized show and form in governmental process. The use of elephants in the attack was all-important well before Alexander the Great descended on the Indus in 326BC. There is evidence of at least one elephant killed in battle as early as 1100BC.

The leader who had elephants in his army possessed a psychological advantage over an enemy who did not. The impact of a rank of giants all lined up in their armor would have been a sight enough sometimes for the enemy to surrender straight away.

Long before Alexander's time the strength of an Indian prince was measured in part by the number of elephants he could assemble in battle.

Second video of Prachaub playing music instrument..

Prathida is very clever and lovely elephant.. 15 years old the mahout trained her to beat the drum and she did it very well as in the video..



Love and miss Prathida, please bookmark this website ..

Prachaub she is my favoured elephant in the Camp.. she is pretty good maner and tame.. and can do many thing.. Especially she always makes every body happy and has very good time when they are at the camp... This video is for some one who miss the elephant at Thai elephant Conservation Center...



Enjoy her performance!!