Story by Elke
My very first heartfelt draw and impression of Elephants happened in the early 80ties while visiting the Kingdom of Nepal. Our elephant ride to see the rhinos of the Chitwan National Park was a profound experience and got me right away thinking about the life of this amazing mammals. It was a formative experience on all the issues we are today pressing on to have changed. Ending Elephant Rides is one of the first things on my abolishing list.
The Nepali female elephant I got to know was guided by a mahout who wanted his elephant to confront a rhino. There was loud trumpeting and our elephant backed up several times, then moved forward again to seemingly annoying the rhino in front of us. I remember feeling to urge the mahout to somehow end this confrontational situation. Inexperienced in this I just watched and hoped it will find a good end and indeed it did. Sadly this was all designed to give the rider a thrill for the memory book. This episode marked the beginning of my journey with Elephants in the physical practice of hands-on healing, in writing, lecturing and in global activism and advocacy for the survival of this remarkably complex and highly intelligent creature.
With warm Rumbles and world-wide Ele-Blessings
Elke
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