Caring for Gentle Giants in Chitwan
My Nepal Adventure with Retired Elephants
In November of 2023, I began my journey from Oregon to Kathmandu, Nepal. After about 30 hours of travel time, I made it to the beautiful country of Nepal, sandwiched between China and India. There, I had the most gratifying, exhausting, and rewarding experience. I volunteered my time and veterinary skills to three retired elephants named Lucky, Jaymati, and Sita. I built friendships with interesting people from all walks of life, ate the most incredible food, and was even charged by a rhino, but that’s a story for another time.
Elephants are a large part of Nepal’s tourism, but I was able to see firsthand how this negatively impacts them. Fortunately, Dr. Trish London, a Veterinarian from Atlanta, Georgia, founded a sanctuary in Chitwan, Nepal that creates a safe retirement home for elephants that can no longer work. Dr. Trish has been working with elephants for 25 years. Along with establishing her own sanctuary in 2018, she has worked with various elephants and foundations in Brazil, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Laous, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.
Elephant rides are a very popular tourist attraction in many places around the world. It is thought that because elephants are so large, they are strong and sturdy enough for this. However, elephants’ vertebrae are sharp and extend superficially from their spine. Their spine is also curved upwards so their saddle will rub on their back, not only causing blisters but can result in severe infections and pain, which in turn affect their health. The continuous pressure from holding six tourists multiple times a day will cause permanent physical damage to their spines. It is also vital to remember that elephants are not domestic animals and are beaten to submission to the point where they would never protest against humans. Many are worked to literal death and are never able to retire, working through their pain, disabilities, wounds, and illnesses. One tour guide said to me that because they allow the wild animals to remain living in Chitwan National Park, the animals need to give back by bringing in money from tourism which is why they are worked so hard. According to World Animal Protection, 75% of captive adult elephants that are used for tourist entertainment in Asia have been captured from the wild
Jaymati was between 80-90 years old with all the spunk in the world. She was originally from India and was a logging elephant along with having a history of giving jungle safari rides to tourists for at least eight years in Nepal. While in Nepal, Jaymati birthed at least three calves. Two of her calves were sold to India while the third works at a hotel in Nepal. She was transferred to the sanctuary in Chitwan in 2020. Jaymati was blind in her right eye, had sloughing on her ears, and had developed edema in her vulva, the cause of which is unknown. Through her 80-plus years of life, this three-ton elephant had remained very goofy and strong-willed.
Jaymati had only one tooth left so she didn’t chew her food very well and had digestive issues as a result. It was essential Jaymati only ate soft, easily digestible foods like watermelons, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and apples. In addition to her fresh produce, her caretakers, also known as mahouts, cooked rice with various additives including pumpkin, cabbage, chickpeas, and molasses. She would also graze on fresh grasses, sugar cane, and bamboo throughout the sanctuary. About one week before my visit, a volunteer had built a pillow for Sita, another elephant, out of straw and hay. Being the hungry girl she was, Jaymati snuck over and ate some of Sita’s pillow and was unable to pass it so enemas and medications were administered multiple times a day.
Sita, named after the Hindu Goddess who is known for being courageous and strong-willed, was between 50 and 60 years old and lived her remaining 5 years at the sanctuary that she inspired. Sita came from India blind and the cause of this is unknown. However, there is a belief that in India, elephants will be purposely blinded if they’re bad.
Working elephants are often not allowed to give themselves dust baths, which they enjoy doing for fun in addition to providing protection from the heat and having the dirt work as a natural sunscreen. When Sita finally got the taste of freedom, she took full advantage of the ability to give herself dust baths and would happily throw sand on herself endlessly. Before her time at the sanctuary, Sita was attacked by another elephant while waiting to work. During this attack, her back and pelvis were broken and as a result, required complete assistance to lay down and stand back up. Elephants use their front legs for about 60% of their mobility but Sita used hers for about 80-90% after her injuries. When she was purchased, it took about 8 hours to walk approximately 2 miles with the team. By 2019, she was running around playing again.
When I arrived in Nepal, I was immediately informed that Sita was not doing well. She was completely down, had major wounds, and would likely pass during my time there. On November 29th, Sita passed away with her favorite mahout sitting next to her. A ceremony called a puja was performed by everyone at the sanctuary along with surrounding mahouts from the city. A puja is a Hindu ceremonial worship and involves the offering of flowers, light, water, and food to the divine . A priest recited mantras during the puja to worship her while she had her feet washed, both milk and water poured in her trunk, mouth, on her feet, and on her back, rice, water, and flowers tossed on her, and lit incense waved around her. At the end, Sita was covered with a beautiful, red blanket. She was buried in the ground where another puja was performed and was left with gifts including food, water, and flowers. After she was buried, more pujas were performed on top of her grave site with flowers, incense, colorful clay, and statues of Gods.
Volunteering in Nepal was an amazing experience. I worked through an organization called International Volunteer HQ and they made the process straightforward to be sure everything was completed the way it was needed and guidance along the way. The organization is rated the top volunteer travel organization, has 296 projects, 44 countries to choose from, and a time ranging from 1 to 24 weeks. Here is a link if you are interested in learning more: https://www.volunteerhq.org/
Dr. Trish London’s Asian Elephant Wellness Project is making a difference in elephants across the world. The mission of this Project includes educating the public, promoting research, raising funds, and providing financial and operational support. If you are interested in learning more about the Asian Elephant Wellness Project, please visit their site at or reach out to them directly at. https://www.volunteerhq.org/ https://www.asianelephantwellness.org asianelephantwellnessproject@gmail.com
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