Happy Elephant Home

“DING DING DING DING”

“Watch out Milo is coming!!” Omo our lovely guide at the Happy Elephant Home warned us before of the playful and cute Milo, who’s just a little bit bigger than he thinks he is. There he comes running down the mountain towards us with a bell around his neck. “He has to wear the bell to warn people where he is or else he will run you over from behind”, says Omo. “The 1 year old elephant loves to play and show off his strength especially to other boys, human or elephant it doesn’t matter to him”. He pushes his head against my belly and uses his trunk to search for bananas in my bag. I notice that he is very picky! He only eats the perfect ripe bananas and spits the green ones and the dark ones out. After he finished my bag he runs off to the next person for more.

Later we learned that Milo’s mother was rescued together with another large female elephant and that they found out that they were both pregnant when they arrived at Happy Elephant Home. The first baby elephant that was born here was Meena, she is now 2 years old and very calm and cute. Milo was born a few months later and has become the star of the sanctuary.

Our next stop is the mud bath and of course Milo is already in there rolling around and pushing his sister Meena in the mud. Our small group of 6 people is not so sure to get in but after Omo starts throwing and rubbing mud to one of the bigger elephants most people take off their shoes and jump in. So much fun!

Time to fresh up a little bit and enjoy a well-deserved lunch while the elephants enjoy their sugarcane and watermelons. The staff prepared some delicious Thai dishes for us to share.

After lunch we took the herd on a short 45-minute hike to the Mae Teang River. I was walking next to Meena, Milo’s older sister and such a sweet and calm elephant, we walked past farmlands and jungles and saw many other elephant sanctuary’s in the distance. Finally we arrived at the river, which was the highlight of this day, splashing each other, brushing the mud off the elephant’s skin and taking some amazing pictures.

Seeing Milo running around and chasing his older sister Meena, rolling in the mud, playing with tree trunks, scratching his body and swimming in the river made me realize that he’s a lucky boy. The older elephants watch over him and sometimes call him to stay quiet and calm. It’s like watching them in the wild. They are a happy elephant family.

Do you want to experience this fantastic day with these beautiful animals? Don’t hesitate and contact us now to book your spot at Happy Elephant Home.