Last fall, my daughter and I visited Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary, which is located in the mountains of Northern Thailand. Although our stay was short, it turned out to be the most memorable part of our holiday.
The sanctuary is set in a Karen hill tribe village that is made up of around 20 houses. Upon arrival, we went to the house where we would stay for the next two days and met our kind host family. Afterward, we headed to base to learn about the elephants that were in the sanctuary's care.
The eldest, Too Meh, had spent much of her life giving tourists rides with a heavy iron seat tied to her back. Her daughter, Mae Doom, and grandsons, Dodo and Gen Thong, had also spent years in chains doing hard labor to entertain tourists. It broke our hearts to hear their sad stories.
Early the next morning, we saw Too Meh and Mae Doom exploring the forest and Dodo playing by the river. Seeing them free was a heartwarming experience. |
