Sharing Stories: Gal’s Veterinary Volunteer Experience

We are starting a new series on Save Elephant’s blog where volunteers can share their stories about their time with us. Do you have a story to share? Be sure to send us an e-mail! It could end up here! We’d like to share a very special thank you to Gal for sharing her experience as a veterinary volunteer with us. She served as a volunteer for four weeks in September/October 2012. Trumpets and love to you, Gal.

My name is Gal and I’m a second year vet student in Israel. When I decided to put my summer holiday to good use this year and go abroad, I typed my wish into the Google search box, not knowing where it would take me:

“Elephants vet student volunteer”

My wish was immediately granted and Elephant Nature Park appeared in the search results, setting my destination to Chiang Mai, Thailand.

My visit was planned for four weeks, as this was the time recommended by the ENP site for the vet students program, and I had no idea whether this would turn out to be too long a time. But as I’m writing this account, at the end of my fourth and last week, I feel sorry I have to leave soon.

I know I would have been happy to stay longer in this amazing and beautiful place, surrounded by elephants, these magnificent creatures, and many other animals who found a safe home here at the park. I have had the rare opportunity and privilege to contribute a little and feel a part of this place.

During my first week here, I was part of a non-vet-related volunteer group; we helped prepare food for the elephants, clean their sleeping areas, cut corn and sugar cane for them, plant trees, build fences and help in various other tasks. Some were easy and some more challenging, sometimes in the rain and sometimes sweating under the hot sun, and they all left us feeling proud to be able to give something and help. The more we did, the less we felt as mere visitors and the more we felt at home.

Between tasks we had plenty of free time and we also partook in the elephants daily bath time at the river. Our wonderfull and funny volunteer coordinators arranged amusing activities for us and we also learned a lot about “domesticated” elephants and what they go through in their lifetime — torture and abuse by man — which only education, openness, patience and responsible tourism can eradicate.

A few memebers of my group came for two weeks and so in the second week I still had their lovely company, although we did not work together. They continued with the various tasks of the park, and felt more at ease to choose their favourite assignments. Their schedule was more flexible and was determined by them, which they enjoyed, plus we all needed that second week (and then some) to improve at recognizing the elephants and telling them apart. The differences between them, which we did not see as newcomers, became more and more apparent and we got to know their individual personalities.

As for me, I finally got to join the veterinary staff and participate in medical procedures. It was an incredible experience, one that I have no way of encountering in my current normal life. Even the most mundane procedures simply seem magical to me when performed on an elephant.

Imagine: taking the temperature of an elephant … or giving an elephant an enema. Both Dr. Rinku and Dr. Preseith have been a wonderfull source of information and help and are happy to share their knowledge. They allowed me to do many of the procedures myself, giving me a very hands-on experience and the chance to practice the theory and feel useful.

I hope to come back here. I will miss this beautiful place and its beautiful inhabitants. I wish future visitors a similar experience, it has been amazing! 🙂