Seeing elephant feet in my sleep 2015

Seeing elephant feet in my sleep…. My latest adventure in learning!

Since rescuing the elephant Moey in 2012, I have been mostly staying in Thailand researching various possibilities to develop an elephant project. When my funds got low, I would return to Switzerland to work, afterwards returning to Thailand.
In spring 2014 I had some free time in between visiting friends in Bangkok. Carol was in Nepal building chain free shelters so I decided it was time to finally see her work in action. Our meeting was energetic and refreshing even though it was very hot!
I didn’t expect to find her alone and I asked her “Where is your team? And she replied “I am a team!!”
I have returned many times to the area of Chitwan National Park to follow Carol’s work, learn and help the best I can. If I was to add up all my visits during the last two years, I have spent an entire year in this part of Nepal!
All who have met her will agree that she is full of energy, enthusiasm and perseverance. From our first meeting, I was captivated by the sheer determination of Carol Buckley. I have witnessed her working tirelessly from morning to night, finding admirable solutions to everyday challenges, being able to get her ideas across with just a few words of Nepali and make those around her laugh with her incomparable sense of humor! I have become totally obsessed with watching Carol at work trimming the elephant’s feet! What a constructive way to help the elephants as well as educating their mahouts to treat the elephant in a more compassionate manner.
When Carol invited me to join her at Tiger Tops workshop as her photographer and assistant I jumped at the chance! During that year I had already helped with the construction of the Chain Free Corrals and followed the exciting progress of the elephant’s reactions on site. I was very excited to stay again in this peaceful place.
True to my habit, I arrived to Kathmandu a little early and met with Carol. We wasted no time in the city and decided to catch an early flight to go trim the feet of a few working elephants in Sauraha before the Tiger Tops workshops began.
We board a small twin-engine airplane, flying over extraordinary landscapes to Chitwan and the elephants. Carol takes a peaceful nap despite the deafening noise of our aircraft and I gaze at the sky through the window with a peaceful heart and a satisfied soul.
In Sauraha Carol has been trimming elephant’s feet for years. Everybody knows Carol and now when they see her, mahouts request foot care for the elephants.  This is such a fabulous improvement … Now they also know me and I cannot wait to be a proficient foot trimmer. There is so much great work being done in Nepal by Carol and her organization. I am looking forward to being a part of the coming changes in elephant welfare.
So Carol, along with me in training, trimmed the feet of a few privately owned elephants in different locations. The conditions there are rarely ideal, the mahouts are under pressure to take tourists for rides, their schedules often changing at the last minute. There were times when we arrived early in the morning only to find that the elephants were already gone and we had to come back later. We trim in the hot burning sun or under the rain, sometimes there are many distractions and it can be stressful. Despite it all Carol remains calm and agreeable with such changing conditions. The Elephants come first, but she always gives a chance to the mahouts to learn and benefit from the experience.
I am gaining more and more experience, getting comfortable with the rasp. Trimming nails is a lesson in patience and focus. You must work little by little. If you take away too much nail, bleeding can occur. The small knife is used to open the decayed areas for them to heal with oxygen, which helps to prevent the nails from cracking. I have received my first Khurpa and have tried it out a bit, what a great feeling but one must be very careful as it is so sharp!
Above is the elephant Beauty Kali who is the first elephant I have trimmed alone, under the supervision of Kiran, vet tech and foot trimming partner of Carol in Nepal. Beauty was perfectly calm and so patient with me. However, as it took a long time, after three feet she decided it was enough, she got up and left quietly ..

Two sensational foot trimming programs, unforgettable meetings and experiences!

After the luxury of working alone with Carol, free to lean in close and learn with no one to compete with, these workshops were a real challenge!! However, the reunions and new encounters with women united by compassion and sharing the same spirit filled me with inspiration. The groups were a mix of enthusiastic people from all over the world, many who have dedicated their life to working with elephants and other animals. Katherine from BLES, Sarah from Mahouts Foundation and  Deepani from Sri Lanka all were there. It was great to have so many people with so much elephant experience in one place. So much information and stories to share!
For most of the participants it was the first time with a rasp, patiently guided by Carol. For some it was their first contact with an elephant! It was a quiet and attentive atmosphere. I enjoyed watching the progress of the participants as they began to feel more comfortable around the elephants. Taking care of the elephant’s feet is something very special and I noticed some of the participants became addicted to rasping after only a few days!!
At Tiger Tops, the elephants and their mahouts were wonderfully calm; a cheerful atmosphere united and accompanied us throughout the two weeks. I was once again very impressed by the peaceful mannerisms of the mahouts. They have been very receptive to Carol Buckley’s ideas which have resulted in positive changes in their relationships with their elephants. It was very moving to see the elephants we followed when being released in their new corrals, savoring a new way of life.
Besides the extraordinary and unique experience of trimming elephant’s feet, we experienced all kinds of memorable adventures!! Going on safari in jeeps through the grasslands…the heat was intense, the air filled with floating tufts of white fluffy seeds.  We took a leisurely walk in the jungle accompanied by elephants, mahouts and the guides of Tiger Tops and discovered a fresh and impressive trail of footprints left by a tiger! in the mud.  And last but not least, the incomparable meeting with rhinos!
A very special time of day was the peaceful walk when we would follow 14 elephants across the grassland to the bank of the splendid Rapti river. We sit and watch the elephants bathe. These moments spent lost in contemplation, enjoying the beauty of elephants playing in the river under a flaming sunset gave us a sense of peace and serenity, uniting us and the elephants as one.
Looking back, I smile when I remember how I lost my shoes and the incredible kindness of Kathleen  who gave me hers (we must wear closed toe shoes when trimming). I laugh at my embarrassment when I found myself totally disheveled and awkward next to Carol, who always looks clean and impeccable!! And I remember the vision I had during my VERY first trip to Nepal in 1991, my forgotten dream that has waited over 25 years and now will come true!
I will cherish these moments forever and I thank the elephants and Carol for their trust and patience and for this incredible journey.
I would like to end this story with a word from a caring and compassionate mahout in Tiger Tops. After  many meetings, when Carol was explaining to the mahouts about  the positive changes … they sat listening, some not understanding what changes were to come… one mahout, listening intently said to his friends….“We need more bestary bestary”     “We need more “calm calm”.               This also makes us smile..