These older elephants at the centre are trained to guide wild elephants out of encroached areas.

On 14th May 2001, the 25-member team from the Kuala Gandah translocation team was called in to capture a young male of between 30 and 40 years old. He was believed to be a member of the herd of elephants who went on a rampage at a few villages in a northern state not long ago. The elephants steamrolled over a sizeable area of orchards and damaged a few houses along the way. The elephant, named 'Tok Nik' by the villagers, was captured and accompanied out of the wooded area by the sanctuary's trained elephants; 'Cek Mek' and 'Mek Bunga'. In doing so, the trained elephants provide the frightened elephant with a sense of security, so that he would be less inclined to retaliate to the treatment of chains on him.

Tok Nik was later released into the forest areas bordering the states of Kelantan and Perak.

The video presentation was a good start to our tour of the place. After the show, the keeper in charge of the day took us to an opening where the older elephants were waiting. This… is where the fun starts! We were introduced to Mek Bunga, a docile and obedient giant…and encouraged to take a ride on her round the compound. The thrill was that we were to be taken on a bareback ride! There were no harnesses, no elephant seats… all we had to do was to clamber onto the elephant's back and hold on for dear life to the Mahout (the elephant's keeper). The Mahout shouted out simple instructions to Mek Bunga and she slowly rose from her crouched position to her full standing height of 8 feet(2.5m). Asian elephants are generally smaller in size as compared with their cousins in Africa. They have smaller triangular, flapping ears, shorter faces with a dip on the top of the head. Only the males have tusks and adults can weigh up to 6tonnes (5,400kg) whereas the female weighs half of that. In general the adults average about 10feet (3m) tall but when you're sitting on an elephants back,10 feet feels a little too high for comfort!

Mek Bunga's task for the day before bathtime and tea

Clad in shorts, Robert had to contend with sitting on bare elephant skin- wiry hair scratching the tender undersides of his thighs! Almost oblivious to the extra burden weighing down on her, Mek Bunga sashayed up a path, which led to the elephant enclosure. The Mahout informed us that this fenced area was recently set up to allow the older elephants to roam. Most of the day the elephants are chained up for their safety. Space is a problem at the centre.

The ride only took 15 minutes but being able to be so close to the elephant, to observe her moves, to feel her breathing - her calmness, to touch her leathery skin, to be in complete harmony with her…that…was more than the thrill of the ride.

After the work of carrying us around, it was our turn to work. 'Twas time for a bath! Not us; although we didn't have a choice in the end anyway. We had been 'summoned' to pay for our thrills (as it were) and it was the elephants' turn to play. With a scrub in one hand and lots of guts…we made our way down to the river. The keepers were already there with the elephant. For those more equipped for the trip (i.e. they brought their swimsuits and towel), with wild abandonment, they jumped into the river. For others like us who came unprepared, after much teasing from the keepers, we went in too!

After half an hour of fun in the river, a loud 'blaaaaarrrrre' coming from the direction of the stables caught us by surprise. The keepers informed us that we had to leave the bathing session for another day. As for now, the young elephants were waiting impatiently for their afternoon tea and from the noisy calls, we could tell that they were already getting a little agitated having to wait. We found out that the one making all those rude noises was the youngest member of the family. There were four young elephants at the stable; Adillah, being the youngest is four years old. She was found on a plantation called Felda Adillah some years ago and transferred to Kuala Gandah. In her tender age, she has even gained quite a bit of fame having been casted in the movie 'Anna and the King'!

The keepers brought out a buffet of delicious fruits for the elephants. Of course Adillah had the very first serving and quite a bit after that! Trunks outstretched, eager for more of the succulent fruits that they have been denied the entire afternoon. The elephants chomped happily away on the fruits handed out to them. We were told that, if we really wanted to be in their good books we could always bring along little treats for them on our next trip. They're especially fond of apples, bananas and mangoes. The next time then.

The aged method of training an elephant is to tie each of the elephant's legs to posts set widely apart. The elephant is left in that straddled position for as long as it takes to break its wild spirit.

We have learnt so much from our day trip to the elephant sanctuary. It's a great place to visit especially for children where they can interact with these gentle giants and learn about them. There is so much to learn and in return perhaps they can teach us a thing or two about our lives too. The elephants here have a purpose - to educate the visitors and to help translocate wild elephants to a better place. The elephants at the sanctuary are in fact, representatives for their fellow elephants. With the work done at Kuala Gandah and the translocation programmes, the wild elephants have a fighting chance to survive and continue their legacy. There is still so much to do and so much that can be done. The responsibility for all wildlife is not just on the wildlife department and their rangers. It also comes from us - our care, our knowledge and our responsibility.

A little phrase from Voltaire's Candide, ' There is no effect without a cause,' replied Candide humbly. 'Everything is connected in a chain of necessity, and has all been arranged for the best.

Update on the elephant centre

The tragic death of the 3 younger elephants at Kuala Gandah centre when a tree crushed them during a freak storm in May 2001 is a great loss to the centre and to us. They are sorely missed by all. In September a new recruit to the centre was introduced to the visitors. Her name is little 'Mawar' . Having been orphaned recently, the 5 month old baby was transported from Kota Tinggi in Johore to the centre. A little hut has been built for her and hopefully in time, she may learn to fend for herself. Young elephants are completely dependent on their mothers. Mother and child are inseparable - the only time they ever separate is when the young is orphaned. It is very difficult for little Mawar to adjust to life at the centre for there is no foster mother to take responsibility for her. Her fate is uncertain at the moment. She is extremely attached to the keeper in charge of her but she definitely needs a full time 'mother' to teach her and to constantly comfort her through such trying times. She frets easily and little things frighten her. So if you do see her, please be gentle. Another little orphaned elephant called 'Sri' was brought to the centre 2 weeks after Mawar. She seems a little more at ease with her surroundings and loves her daily sand bath. The two young ones have a habit of grabbing visitors' hands and stuffing them into their mouths to suckle. But be careful not to allow them to do so. At their age, they have already developed the back molars and may unknowingly crush your finger or hand.

Sri was later sent to the A'Famosa safari park in Melaka.

More information about the centre

If you would like to know more about the elephants at Kuala Gandah Elephant Centre and if you are interested in helping the elephants there, there is an adopt-an-elephant programme managed by the Rotary Club Bukit Bintang, a charitable fund set up solely for the well being of the elephants here - please check out www.elephantappeal.com

There is a satellite-tracking programme conducted on a few wild elephants that have been tagged with electronic tracking devices prior to their release into the jungles. If you're interested and would like to know more about the projects, please check out www.natzoo.si.edu

For further information about the sanctuary, its purpose and its elephants you may contact 019 - 9321 576

Deerland

This is a privately funded animal park right next to the Elephant Centre and is open everyday from 10.30am till 5.30pm except on Fridays. The owner's intention was to increase the size of the forest reserve in the backyard by another 4 hectares for the animals to roam. At the park, they have deers, sunbears, snakes amongst other animals. Visitors can help feed the animals but do have the staff present at all times if kids are around as these are wild animals and sometimes they can be a little temperamental.

Entrance Fee for adults = RM10 ; for child = RM5 per person

For more information on Deerland contact : 012 959 4242

 

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Accommodation and Holiday Packages to Kuala Gandah Elephant Centre

| Elephant Sanctuary Day Tour |

It's best to make day trips to the centre from Kuala Lumpur