Elephants

I’m still in the mood to write about animal sanctuaries, so my subject matter for today is on the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is run by a government agency and it also accepts funding via corporate sponsorship and public donations.

The Sanctuary is located near Lanchang in Pahang. If my memory serves me right, it takes about 2 and a half hours to get there by car from KL. Just hop on onto the East Coast Highway, exit the highway at Lanchang and take the trunk road to get to the Sanctuary.

Admission to the Sanctuary is free (it’s nice to know that we still have freebies in this age of spiralling prices). If you’re there early, you may even register yourself for elephant rides. The rides are free but they are allocated to only a limited number of visitors because of the small number of elephants available. I was told that you may even pre-register via telephone, but I’m not sure if this is true.

The Sanctuary comprises a small but comfortable building which houses the registration counter and exhibition rooms; the elephant enclosures; an open field which is located next to a stream; and a surau. Notably missing were restaurants/eateries so it is advisable to bring your own food and drinks. I doubt that you could find restaurants outside the Sanctuary either because it is located quite far from town.

The exhibition rooms showcase elephant skulls and posters bearing information about elephants. One room is used for video shows on elephant conservation efforts in Malaysia. My DD and her cousins watched the video show but we adults decided to wait in the exhibition area because the video room was packed with visitors. If I’m not mistaken, the video show was run at around 1 pm.

Later on we ventured to the field and had our lunch at a wakaf there. Then we went to see the elephants at their enclosures. They were smelly so I didn’t spend much time there but the kids stayed there for quite a long time.

The elephants’ bath rituals were held at around 2 pm. The Sanctuary staff rode the elephants out of the enclosures, accross the open field, and down into the stream. There the staff gave the elephants a bath while we visitors stood close to the stream to watch the event.

The bath ritual was followed by feeding, which was held in a basic shed-like structure located at one corner of the field. Visitors are allowed to feed the elephants with the food that were provided by the Sanctuary such as bananas, papayas and some other fruits that I can’t recall. I gathered my courage and approached a baby elephant to feed it a banana. The elephant opened its mouth and with a swift movement, the banana (skin and all) was gone from my hand.

The next event was elephant rides, which we did not sign up for. So we decided to leave then.

Not far from the elephant sanctuary, I saw a signboard to a deer park. We didn’t visit the place though due to lack of time.

My verdict:
The visit to the Sanctuary was particularly fun for the kids. Besides, there’s the educational aspect in relation to protecting our animals and preserving nature. Its location makes it convenient for a day trip visit. Free-entrance is an additional plus point if you’re going in a large group.

Minor drawbacks are the absence of eateries, which could be due to the relatively low number of visitors; as well as the absence of signboards after the Lanchang exit (we reached a T-junction where there was no signboard to guide us. We decided to turn left; 5km later we came across a signboard to the Sanctuary which pointed in the opposite direction).

Overall, this is a good option for parents who want to introduce their kids to animal conversation efforts. So if you’re scratching your head, not sure as to where to bring your kids during the school holidays besides the obligatory shopping malls, this is a neat option which only takes 1 day of your time, at most.