As Kit continues to grow we have seen signs from him, his mother and the other females in the herd that the time is coming for him to start spending a bit more time on his own. This can often be a challenge in captivity with limited resources and amounts of space and is why many people will simply remove the baby from its family entirely at this stage. Since this is not the approach we will use – and we have ample land for the elephants to roam – we will implement a different strategy.

Instead of encouraging Kit to walk with his mother and family every morning we will give him the option of spending this time away from the herd and offer him extended time to explore the jungle. He will be able to choose to either stay with his mother or to venture out on his own. During this period, we will begin testing out various radio collars and GPS units that will track his location in preparation for his move into the wild. We are currently working on a plan to allow guests to see him at a distance, but in a manner that will not negatively impact his natural behaviors.

As with all parents it comes with a mixture of sadness and happiness when you watch your children take the next step in life. It’s no different than with Kit. It may sound trite, but it seems like just yesterday he was our little boy. We invite everyone to wish Kit the best and picture him roaming the jungle and living his life as the wild elephant he was born to be. As hard as it is to see these changes begin, we know it is what’s best for Kit – and even more what’s best for the preservation of elephants in Laos.

In light of this, Baby Kit and his mother will not participate in the New Beginnings tour as of Wednesday, February 27th, 2019. We understand this may seem like sad news for many people who have been expecting to see him but hope everyone can appreciate the need for this change. The New Beginnings tour will continue to run with the matriarch of our herd, Mae Mahn, and her recently rescued and reunited daughter, Moen. Group size will still be an intimate four-person experience. We are happy to offer a full refund to anyone who has already booked this tour and would like to cancel due to the circumstances. Please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

The post Baby Kit’s Journey to the Wild appeared first on Mandalao Elephant Conservation.

Outhai Anuluck, or “Thai,” joined MandaLao just two months after it opened in December 2016. He grew up in the province of Oudomxay, in Donmueng village, moving to Luang Prabang at age 12. Thai entered the temple a year later and spent the next six years learning about Buddhism, how to live a Buddhist life, mastering English and finishing high school. He describes an important Buddhist tenet, which in many ways guides his life choices: Do good, get good. Do evil, get evil.” After leaving temple life, Thai took a position as a tour guide at an elephant camp in Luang Prabang. “I wanted to work with elephants because I was always very scared of them. I wanted to overcome that and understand the love that Lao people have for elephants.” And he did. “I began to love them very much. They are very smart, very amazing, you can hug them and they understand a lot about you.” Because of his concern for elephant welfare he wanted to work at MandaLao and interviewed for a guiding position. Michael Vogler was instantly impressed and hired him on the spot. A year later, Thai is a key figure in running the MandaLao office, managing two people, selling tours, arranging van pickups, guide assignments and much more. “The kindest man with the best smile. Thai always comes to work and brightens up the office with his great attitude and passion for elephants,” Roice Davis, one of MandaLao’s owners and Operations Director, comments. Thai and his wife have one little boy, Poopy, who is 18-months old and the light of their life – and of MandaLao’s staff, as well!

The post Meet the staff appeared first on Mandalao Elephant Conservation.

Last month our Elephant Master, Prasop Tipprasert, invited world-renown trainer, Dr. Andrew McClean, co-founder and chair of the Human Elephant Learning Program, to spend a weekend with our guides and mahouts and show them how to manage elephant behavior using simple repetitive actions. Our baby boy, Kit, was the focus of the training, which centered on learning to walk forward, backward and stop with one-word commands, a click and a reward.

What did HE learn? Each of those three essential behavioral tools. What did WE learn? What we already knew: throw away the hooks, hammers, nails and chains and over time, with consistent practice, a bunch of delicious bananas can work miracles. As the Human Elephant Learning Program wisely says,  “Abuse ends where knowledge begins.”

The post The Times They Are A-Changing for Elephant Training! appeared first on Mandalao Elephant Conservation.