The Awesome Elephants of Kuala Gandah

Last Saturday we did one of those things that has been on my To Do list for a while - a day trip to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary.  Run by the Forestry Department, the sanctuary is part of a national elephant rehabilitation and translocation effort that rescues elephants from areas where they are threatened or a threat to humans and relocates them to forest reserves.

Of course, the main reason this place even exists is because we keep cutting down the forests and turning them into palm oil plantations.  With their severely shrunken habitats, wild elephants often end up ravaging the palm oil estates for food.

I have to say, I came away impressed.  As Malaysians, I think most of us will admit that we generally have low expectations when it comes to locally-run establishments, especially when they are government-owned and operated.  But in the past few years, there have been a few gems that have left me pleasantly surprised and this was one of them.

Apart from having pretty well-kept grounds, which is a challenge in itself given the rather large sizes of its inhabitants, the place is also staffed with people who genuinely seemed to love their charges.  The info center, for those who care to take time and read their exhibits, tell you a fair bit about these amazing creatures.

For instance, did you know that elephants are a matriarchal breed?  And that they mourn their dead, often stopping while on a trek at places where their loved ones have passed away?  These are creatures with long lives and long memories, which I suppose is why the saying "Elephants never forget."

The thing you won't find out while at the center, is the wonderful work really done there.  I wish they had a bit more information about the work they actually do, which, thanks to our source on the trip, Rakesh, turns out to be an awful lot.  The elephants in Kuala Gandah are either being rehabilitated or trained as working elephants.  By the latter, it means they are taught to aid in the capture of wild elephants, especially when the latter cannot be tranquilised due to their health conditions or other extraneous circumstances.  In such cases, trained elephants together with their mahouts ride through the jungle until they are alongside the wild elephant target, hemming it in on both sides and leading it to safety.  The mahout's job is a dangerous one - imagine riding atop an elephant crashing through the jungle at full speed.  Injury, needless to say, is a sure thing.

Yet, these brave men and their elephants persevere, saving more than 300 elephants to date.

If you haven't visited, do go.  It's one of the few things we do right.  And it's absolutely free of charge, which I personally think is outrageous - the experience alone deserves an admission fee.  So, do give a donation instead, as the center can always use the funds.