|
? ? "Khun Soraida ...... Khun soraida?" Who is this? Is this a Thai person? Maybe she is crazy? There are not enough hospitals to care for people and now she is going to build a hospital for elephants!" ? I have never forgotten that sentence. For nearly 18 years since I established the foundation ?Friends of the Asian Elephant', there have always been problems. To care for the elephants, our big friends, is a difficult task... but yes I have done it. ? The first elephant hospital in the world was built by Thais here in Thailand, with money donated from the people. Every baht received was from sweat and tears, both from the givers and the receivers. I would like to thank every one of you from the deepest of my heart. ? The problem of Thai elephants was not only the sick ones, but it is also the problems occurring from people, environment and many other aspects. ? Date:Sat 11 Aug 2007 20:42 At FAE's Elephant Hospital, Lampang ? Many days ago, when I was standing in the lab located on the hill, whilst doing archives and waiting for the staff to come to help me move the table, I looked down to the Infirmary Unit #2 and saw the little elephant, Mosha, only one year and a half playing with the water hose, pulling it away from the elephant keeper. Mosha tried to go into the water basin that was built for treatment of injured elephants needing to immerse their feet in water. This reminded me about last year, this same month, which was the time when Mosha arrived. She was then very small, only 7 months old. She could put her whole body in the basin, standing on her 4 legs and she would come and stand in thatbasin until the doctor came to dress her wounds. Later in the day when it got hotter, Mosha would come to stand in that basin again, laying down and sitting in the water, just like a human baby in the bath tab. She used her trunk splashing the water - but Mosha has only three legs left! ? Mosha was terribly injured from stepping on a landmine in Myanmar while she was walking with her mother who was not injured. The wounds of Mosha were the same as Motala's, only that they were on a different leg. ? Today was the same as everyday that I am here. I walked down from where I live to where I work. I saw a young child, maybe only 2 years old, waving good-bye to someone. The parent of the child tried calling the child to them but the child was still standing there waving - did not want to go to them. I looked at what the child was staring at and waving to and saw that the child was waving to the sick elephants that ware standing nearby. The child was waving to the elephants! I thought that the child would like to say: "Get well soon. I will come back and visit you again." ? Many children who come to visit, were happy when they hear that the sick elephants that they see, get better. But today at the exhibition area, one little girl was sitting there crying. She was watching pictures of the elephant Kammee and was trying to read the text under the pictures in both Thai and in English. I was not sure whether she understood or not since she seemed to be only 4-5 years old. So I walked towards her and held her in my arms, explaining to her the pictures from the beginning, since Kammee arrived. Then her mother came towards us and talked to her daughter. Both of them came with a group of foreign tourists. I was not sure from which country, but I think they came from Europe. Then the little child cried again. I told her that Kammee was addicted to Amphetamine. But Friends of the Asian Elephant, the foundation had looked after Kammee very well and that she was healthier and had put on weight. Then in the fifth year, Kammee started going blind. Her main internal organs had been destroyed from Amphetammine. She could not even stand. So I had to decide to put her down to end her pain. The mother of the child translated everything that I had said to her and then turned to me and said to me in English: ?It must be very very hard for you.' My tears started running - I was out of words. What I did was to turn away to dry my tears. The little girl watched me with softness in her eyes also with tears as if she would have wanted to tell me that she understood and that she was also sad with me. In the little girl's hands she held the picture of me holding Kammee the second that her life ended tightly. ? To lose something in life is sadness. Some people might think of one elephant's life is nothing, it has no value to our feelings. But Kammee's life has meaning for me and for all the members of Friends of the Asian Elephant. I am still crying no matter how long time passes by. My tears will run every time I talk about it. ? And from today on, in the heart of this little child, I am sure that Kammee will always be there. Thanks to all! Soraida Salwala ? -- |