Dooni!During our first morning’s drive to Minas, we passed a sign that said “Elephant Conservation.” I was immediately interested and thought that if we had a free afternoon, or finished work early, that we could have a small adventure and take a look. We headed there Tuesday afternoon. The road was a little bumpy, nothing unusual, but the forested area around me kept me looking out the window, wondering if I was just going to see elephants grazing. We finally came upon the entrance and started driving toward the offices of the organization. On our left, a baby elephant was feeding next to a man who was doing some type of cultivating. This baby was so cute, I just wanted to get out and touch her! But, not knowing what type of conservation organization this is, I decided against it, thinking that she might be aggressive.
The baby elephant who greeted us upon our arrival
We continued a little further down the road and saw three adult elephants and another baby, and the office area which oddly had a circus-like grandstand and some props for elephants to do tricks on (it did not help that I had seen Water for Elephants two days prior). I was pretty confused by the grandstand and the props, but we parked the car and got out and started talking to the men that worked there. They explained that the conservation (which, for the record, I would change that name) was established and funded by the government. Elephants were shipped from all over Indonesia to this area and were then tamed and trained to be sent to zoos. My heart sank, more than a little, since I thought these animals were being rehabilitated from zoos and being returned to the wild. Again, I think the word “conservation” is a bit misleading. All in all, there were 31 elephants there that were being trained. Of the elephants that were close to us, one was being ridden by his trainer who said that he was very nice and gentle.
Dooni, with an unfortunate rider and chain that held his feet together
The trainers, getting Dooni ready for our short ride
What I loved the most was that his name was Dooni (in Bambara, this means small or slow or gentle). I was encouraged to touch Dooni and as soon as I approached him, his wet trunk started sniffing me, presumably looking for something to snack on. Since we had arrived in Minas, I hadn’t found much good food to eat, certainly not any fruit, but on our way back from the site, I saw a small market and we stopped so I could buy some mangoes and apples. They were pretty expensive and I was really looking forward to eating them, but when Doonie was expressly looking for something, I couldn’t resist but share with him! I’m not really sure what I thought, but when I offered an apple, he opened his gigantic mouth, and I was not expecting to see that. I hesitated, but eventually kind of gently placed/tossed the apple in and it was gone in a second. So much for savoring that granny smith! As soon as he swallowed it, his trunk was back, wanting more. How could I resist? So, I shared another apple, but was more comfortable putting it in his mouth this time. Since all I could really see was a lot of skin, I wondered where his teeth were – though I’m sure there was no chewing going on! – and one of the trainers opened his mouth wide to reveal these gigantic white teeth which I did not want my hands anywhere near.
Inside this gentle giant's mouth
Dooni’s skin was perfectly pachadermal – so dry and rough, and on his head right above his trunk and mouth, he had this longer, course hair. Together, they were great new textures to touch, in getting to know Dooni.
The trainers could see how enamored I was with him and asked if I wanted to ride him – uh, yeah, I was afraid you’d never ask! Of course, I was torn by this since these animals would probably never again live in their natural habitat and would constantly have humans bothering them, but nevertheless, I couldn’t say no. The trainer got off, they put on some crazy red cloth/sign for me to sit on and another trainer got on. Dooni sat down and they instructed me to step on his foot in order to get on him. It was challenging to scoot myself up to his shoulder area because he was quite wide, but I made it. Now again, I could have ridden Dooni all day, gone into the forest for lunch and dinner with him, and spent all night hanging out with him (perhaps as a result of Water for Elephants!). But, since I was with others, who really didn’t seem to care about my instant connection with Dooni, we just took a short stroll up the road and back. We took some photos and he gently sat down for me to dismount, and then the trainer pulled him back and he did a “trick” for me. At this point, all I wanted was to take Dooni home, forget about the issue of the plane and lodging –he was adorable. Of course I had more fruit and had to reward him for allowing me my small pleasure of a short ride. This time, I have him a small mango, but instead of placing it in his mouth, he actually took it from me with his trunk and fed himself – I guess the shape and texture of the mango was easier for him to handle.
This picture was taken at the point that I wouldn't let go and wouldn't stop petting Dooni
Dooni, showing off his skills
It was sad to leave, especially since we were only there for only 20 or 30 minutes. On the drive home, I thought about how great it would be to be an elephant keeper, but decided I’d have to hold off on that for my next career, though I could see doing some sort of Maternal and Child Health of elephants project.
Another baby elephant
