Lots of twenty-something backpackers visit Thailand for adventure, but few start a foundation, rescue two elephants, and write a book about the experience. Antoinette van de Water isn't like most tourists.
Antoinette's Story:
Bringing The Elephant's Home
By Maren Smith
Acclimate, August 2009
A self-described animal lover and social activist, Antoinette worked in the Netherlands as a fundraiser for an environmental NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). In 2002, itching to travel alone, she chose Thailand because it was a safe destination with volunteer opportunities. Antoinette made arrangements to spend most of her vacation volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park (ENP), a sanctuary for abused and neglected elephants, 40 miles north of Chiang Mai.
Antoinette has a soft spot for causes, but she never dreamed that elephants would become her life's focus. Her first night in Thailand, she was socializing with other Khao San Road travelers when she spotted a frightened baby elephant being paraded down the street amidst a sea of zooming tuk tuks and drunken revelers. The elephant's terrified eyes haunted her. A few days later at the ENP, she met another elephant. Her responsibility was around-the-clock care for a frail, orphaned baby found in the jungle stuck between two trees. It was an unforgettable experience.
Those two little elephants melted her heart, flooded her conscience, and moved her to action. Antoinette developed a business plan she called "Bring the Elephant Home" and vowed to raise enough money to rescue a baby elephant.
A year and a half later on her second visit to the ENP, she proposed her plan to the staff while sitting around the campfire. They agreed to support her project with the requisite animal permits, veterinary care, and personnel, but they cautioned her: an elephant is expensive to buy and maintain, as they consume roughly 400 pounds of food a day. The projected cost? € 50,000.
It took over a year to create the Dutch foundation Bring the Elephant Home (BTEH), build a website, publicize the project, find sponsors, and raise enough money through local fundraisers to purchase an elephant.
"I don't really think they believed that this young foreigner would follow through on the idea once away from Thailand," she laughs.
Antoinette, 34, is a statuesque blonde, with a photogenic smile, but it is her Dutch sensibility and determination that is most impressive. Back in the Netherlands, her ENP journal entries motivated her, her economics background grounded her, and her heart propelled her forward. Eventually, she raised the funds to buy not one, but two elephants: a baby girl named Nok Dgeon and an older female, Sri Nuan, blind in one eye.
The Great Elephant Escape tells the incredible story of her odyssey through journal entries and photographs, written with journalist Liesbeth Sluiter. It is a captivating read that details the liberation of the two elephants along the rocky road from captivity to sanctuary.
Would she ever do a project like this again?
"While I'm happy and proud that I was able to rescue two elephants, it was hard work. Even with everyone's support, I was filled with self-doubt. It was a lonely time for me. Knowing what I know now, I don't think I could do this again," Antoinette says. "It helped that I was young and naïve."
Some of her activist friends back home even questioned the merits of her cause, reinforcing her doubts. "I was just too busy at the time moving elephants, presenting school programs, setting up mobile animal clinics, and meeting with local officials and the media along our route, to explain it to them. Now that they've read my book, I think they are proud of me and respect my choices and efforts."
Though she didn't have the required animal permits in place as she'd hoped before the trip, she relied on karma. Television network Animal Planet was scheduled to film a documentary that included her story, and donors had committed funds to her project. Backing out was not an option; too many people—and two elephants—were counting on her.
As a farang in Thailand, her biggest obstacle was building trust. She's well-intentioned and well-spoken. But, she's not Thai. People were suspicious of her motivations. Why would a Dutch woman care about Thai elephants? Fortunately, a timely article in The Nation about her project created positive media coverage that enabled her to obtain the necessary permits. Gradually, Antoinette won over both Thai animal rights groups and government officials.
Now that the two elephants are in their safe new home, Antoinette continues BTEH projects from the Chiang Mai office promoting solutions to human-elephant conflicts in an effort to prevent their extinction. She explained that deforestation is the biggest problem for Thai elephants. Wild elephants have lost their natural habitat and since the ban of teak logging in 1989, mahouts (elephant handlers) and elephants have been out of work. Without steady income, mahouts often bring their elephants into cities to beg from tourists. Even though it has been illegal to bring elephants into Bangkok since 2003, the law is rarely enforced.
Antoinette's a realistic altruist. Rather than point fingers, she supports practical projects in Thailand to resolve elephant issues, partnering with experienced Thai organizations to focus on education, tree planting, and elephant-friendly ecotourism initiatives. She has already proven that she can move elephants; one gets the sense that perhaps she can move mountains, too.
To create more forest habitat, BTEH launched "Trees for Elephants." Antoinette's foundation works with 14 schools near Khao Yai National Park to educate students about elephant habitat and the importance of biodiversity. The students also participate in tree planting camps in the national park's forest.
"Students teach their parents positive ways to interact with elephants, acting as Elephant Ambassadors. Education is the key," she says.
Another tree-planting project is located in the protected Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi Province. Home to 174 wild elephants, the sanctuary is currently 80% bamboo, so more varied vegetation is needed to support the herd. If elephants have more forest in which to live and diverse and tasty plants to eat, the elephants will be less tempted by crops adjacent to the sanctuary thereby creating a more amicable relationship between villagers and elephants. This in turn will help sustain the dwindling wild elephant population.
The "Trees for Elephants" project won Antoinette a 2008 Vodafone grant and the financial resources to plant trees in five locations and run the foundation. In less than a year, more than 100,000 trees were planted.
Antoinette copied the common-sense approach of Cabbages and Condoms owner Mechai Viravaidya, former politician and Thai founder of the Population and Development Association (PDA), by using their successful model and partnering with them to create a micro-credit bank. To create the bank, BTEH financed a tree nursery. Villagers run the nursery growing saplings and planting them to create elephant food and habitat. In turn, the village bank account receives a 20 baht credit for each tree planted. The village can then apply for loans for ecotourism projects, giving mahouts an alternative to elephant street begging.
One such project is Elephant Island, near Buriram, 410 km northeast of Bangkok, on a river island between two traditional villages. Two elephants, collectively purchased and owned by the village, live on the island with their mahouts. Visitors interested in a unique homestay experience can spend the night in the village while learning about Isaan culture and environmental issues, as well as interacting with the elephants. The income received supports the village and the elephants.
Meanwhile, back at the Elephant Nature Park, how are "her" elephants doing?
"Sri Nuan is pregnant. I am happy her baby will grow up in a natural preserve without having to perform silly tricks or paint pictures. I feel good about that," she says.
BTEH continues to work closely with the ENP to rescue elephants, purchase land, and plant trees. Interested donors can also "adopt" her elephants to help defray their living expenses.
There is an undeniable bond between Thai people and elephants. They hold a sacred and revered place in society. They have been workhorses for the economy and have provided transportation for both commoners and kings. But, they need human help to survive.
A century ago, 100,000 elephants roamed Thailand. Today an estimated 3,000 are left, with less than half that number alive in the wild. The Asian Elephant is an endangered species. If trends continue, scientists predict wild elephants will be extinct in less than 50 years.
There are many ways to interact with Thai elephants that will help support their survival. While it may seem exotic to ride one or amusing to see it play in an orchestra, those behaviors aren't natural to an elephant. To perform these tricks, elephants must undergo rigorous, painful training.
"Tourists have choices. Ecotourism opportunities with elephants are just as much fun and certainly more memorable. Taking a walk with an elephant or bathing it in a river is pretty unforgettable," she said.
Although Antoinette makes her home in Chiang Mai where her apartment doubles as the BTEH office, she spends two weeks each month traveling throughout Thailand to supervise the projects. Her unconventional job suits her.
What does the future hold for Antoinette?
"We all make choices in life. Being rich isn't necessarily related to being happy. I believe you have to follow your heart. Everyone can make a difference doing small things for the Earth, making the world a little bit better," she says.
Her positive actions are gaining attention. In January 2009, the Yves Rocher Foundation honored Antoinette with the "Terre des Femmes" award. The annual award is given to women who create inspiring environmental projects that are unique, original, and an example for others. She won first prize and € 5,000.
Now that's good karma.
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For more information, please check out: www.bring-the-elephant-home.org, www.elephantnaturepark.org. The Great Elephant Escape by Antoinette van de Water and Liesbeth Sluiter, published by Silkworm Books. Available at local Bangkok bookstores and Amazon. See www.silkwormbooks.com for specific bookstore locations.