June 26, 2010

Baby has captured my heart. Her condition is serious but it seems no one at the government center is concerned. Her owner gets paid to have her at the Elephant Study Center all day. He is absent. I have seen several different mahouts working her.

At a little more than two years old, Baby is trained to perform in the show twice daily and walk two kilometers round trip daily, to and from her home stable.

She is scrawny and malnourished, with a ravenous hunger. It’s encouraging to see her grab for long-stem grasses and stuff them into her mouth, chew nonstop and grab another.

Luckily Baby likes the rice and coconut milk supplement I am feeding her 3 times a day. The first two days my effort to help was tentatively accepted by the mahouts. But Baby reached out eagerly, looking for the bowl she knows contains the new tasty food. Now the senior mahout welcomes me with a smile and casual greeting. He thanks me after Baby eats.

Today is my last day with Baby.