We were invited to a very special place - Somboon Legacy Foundation, an elephant sanctuary.
Why is this place so special? First of all because here the animals are taken care of with love and compassion. We learned, that most of the sanctuaries unfortunately still use elephants for human entertainment. Here it is not like that.
Two old elephants aged over 80 years old enjoy here their retirement.
First of all, we collected banana trees for elephant snack. They love chewing the stems squeezing out the sweet juice.
Mmm, yummy!
We also helped to cook the sticky rice with veggies and vitamins to feed the elephants.
Actually, for a moment we thought this vegetarian food was meant for us. We laughed a lot when we realized, it was for the elephants.
We also went to a museum and learned a lot about these smart and gentle giants.
Each elephant has one care-giver (mahout) and only this person interacts with the animal closely. We could only touch the imitation of the elephant skin. This is the way how the elephants are kept in peace.
Children had a lot of fun hanging around the place.
It's great to know, that the elephants are living a happy life here without anyone exploiting them.
Have you ever heard of poo paper? It is like regular paper, but made out of... elephant poo!
Very sustainable, isn't it?
We also made a few sheets of this paper. May be we will use it in the math class. Hopefully, the teacher supports sustainability.
Elephants love fruits! We cut and scooped watermelons and bananas, so the elderly elephants can enjoy them even though they have lost their teeth with age.
We were lucky to observe elephants bath.
Only the care-givers can join them in the river. The rest of us could enjoy the graceful scene.
It was a great experience! Now we understand these amazing animals a little bit better.
Watch a video about our experience in Somboon Legacy Foundation: