Meet David, the one year old elephant, who was named after David Beckham. He has skills.
The morning started with smooth coffee in hand while drifting amongst the herd of eight elephants we had hugged, fed, bathed, and fed again the day before. Feeding meant going out to the banana grove and returning with a pickup truck full of pulpy banana trees or chopping up giant grass from the fields or handing out a bushel of bananas. At this time, they were all contentedly squishing their banana stalks and stuffing their faces with this juicy favorite. We quickly got the understanding that they are very food oriented and food motivated.
We guests all sipped our coffee and soaked in the glorious morning with this enchanting combination of tribe and herd...as one family. So peaceful and serene.
It wasn't long before David bumped up the energy level. We stoked the fire and fanned the flames. At first, he started chasing one of the handlers. We passed him the rubber soccer ball and he lit up. Go, David go!, shouted Celine in growing elation. Game on.
What followed was like playing touch football against a steam roller. He delighted us fans with his ball handling. It seemed his favorite play was to hide the ball using the super squash. It was very effective.
All this was happening under the supervision of 7 full adult elephants who were distinctly nonplussed. No appearance of concern at the surface. They had seen all this before, I guess.
I am ashamed to say that I didn't notice if he worked up a sweat. To be fair, the signs are not obvious. We had learned the day before that they only sweat above their toenails. He didn't seem winded at all. At one point he did this curious roll on the ground during play. He was into it.
David's attention span was what you would expect of a toddler. After a few passes between us he would charge one of the mango trees or plow through a bamboo fence. It reminded me when we reved up our kids when they were young and they would fly over couches in the living room. It's all fun until the furniture gets trashed.
David was testing his limits and at one point knew he had everyone's attention and raced around a tree to knock over a motor scooter. We all yelled his name in repressed glee. The handlers ran over to pre-empt the strike but he was just too fast. All the time mommy and the seven other adult elephants were happily munching away on their banana trees. Not one concern was apparent.
We reintroduced the ball and the game continued. We also had a bamboo ball which we accidentally fumbled. It got the full squash treatment as David tried to get it out of the gutter. This was a super sized toddler -- a fact we forgot while we were in the moment; in the game.
This is one game I never imagined and will always cherish. This was the perfect experience joining my family and his for a brief moment in time. We are eagerly anticipating the birth of a new baby by the end of the year.
The Karen tribe is a collection of families in the hills north of Chiang Mai, Thailand, who decided a few years ago to bring their ancestral extended family back home and to dedicate themselves to care for these beautiful, sensitive, and vulnerable animals. This small community faces internal and external pressures and we acknowledge their dedication and love.
Go David, go!
 |
| photo credit: Celine Oort |
We guests all sipped our coffee and soaked in the glorious morning with this enchanting combination of tribe and herd...as one family. So peaceful and serene.
 |
| photo credit: Michael Oort |
It wasn't long before David bumped up the energy level. We stoked the fire and fanned the flames. At first, he started chasing one of the handlers. We passed him the rubber soccer ball and he lit up. Go, David go!, shouted Celine in growing elation. Game on.
What followed was like playing touch football against a steam roller. He delighted us fans with his ball handling. It seemed his favorite play was to hide the ball using the super squash. It was very effective.
All this was happening under the supervision of 7 full adult elephants who were distinctly nonplussed. No appearance of concern at the surface. They had seen all this before, I guess.
I am ashamed to say that I didn't notice if he worked up a sweat. To be fair, the signs are not obvious. We had learned the day before that they only sweat above their toenails. He didn't seem winded at all. At one point he did this curious roll on the ground during play. He was into it.
David's attention span was what you would expect of a toddler. After a few passes between us he would charge one of the mango trees or plow through a bamboo fence. It reminded me when we reved up our kids when they were young and they would fly over couches in the living room. It's all fun until the furniture gets trashed.
David was testing his limits and at one point knew he had everyone's attention and raced around a tree to knock over a motor scooter. We all yelled his name in repressed glee. The handlers ran over to pre-empt the strike but he was just too fast. All the time mommy and the seven other adult elephants were happily munching away on their banana trees. Not one concern was apparent.
We reintroduced the ball and the game continued. We also had a bamboo ball which we accidentally fumbled. It got the full squash treatment as David tried to get it out of the gutter. This was a super sized toddler -- a fact we forgot while we were in the moment; in the game.
This is one game I never imagined and will always cherish. This was the perfect experience joining my family and his for a brief moment in time. We are eagerly anticipating the birth of a new baby by the end of the year.
The Karen tribe is a collection of families in the hills north of Chiang Mai, Thailand, who decided a few years ago to bring their ancestral extended family back home and to dedicate themselves to care for these beautiful, sensitive, and vulnerable animals. This small community faces internal and external pressures and we acknowledge their dedication and love.
Go David, go!
 |
| photo credit: Celine Oort |
