by Nemala
It was a pleasant cool morning with a clear sky. The beautiful sun was gently warming the ground surface after a downpour that took place in the wee hours of the morning. At the corner of a busy road 42 people gathered and merrily waited for their bus to bring them for a short escape to the world of the deer and the elephants.
The journey to Kuala Gandah was about 2 hours. The Deerland Park was the first stop of the day. The organisers (Mei Wan and Sumi) swiftly sorted the tickets and gathered the group to capture the exciting moment in camera before entering the park. It was set amidst the edge of a natural rainforest, allowing visitors the opportunity to appreciate what nature has to offer.
As we entered, it gave a feeling of walking into a secondary forest. That said, the deer enclosure was a big one. All the deer roamed freely in it. They seem to be accustomed to having human visitors. Upon seeing us about 15 of them gathered at the front, expecting to be fed. This allowed us direct interaction with the beautiful deep dark brown ‘pearl-eyed’ creature. I understood then how the ‘doe-eye’ expression came about. Most of the feeding was done by the children with the assistance of some adults while the park guide helped to deepen the visitors’ knowledge on animals, especially the deer.
There were several types of deer in the park bringing the total to 33. Mostly were the Javan Rusa, Sika Deer and Sambar Deer. Besides feeding the adorable 4-legged creature, there were plenty of opportunities to see and touch several other animals in the park such as the ostrich, hedgehog, rabbit and a 30kg Burmese Python (‘he’ was the centre of attention after the deer as ‘he’ rested happily on many of our shoulders). There were also many types of colourful birds, mainly the pheasant and parrot.
After finishing with the deer, we were all eager to meet the ‘Giants’! The Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary was only several minutes away. Before we saw the elephants, we watched a 30-minute short film about them and the sanctuary. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks established the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in 1989. It was the base for the elephant relocation team – one of its kind in Malaysia. The team was dedicated to locating, subduing and translocating elephants from areas where their habitats were destroyed throughout the peninsula. Over the years, the team had helped to prevent further decline of the population by relocating more than 600 wild elephants. It showed how important the sanctuary was and that certainly made us all delighted knowing that the RM5 collected as part of the trip was given to aid in sustaining their remarkable efforts.
Besides that, every day at 2pm there was a public awareness programme on rehabilitation and the guides’ roles in the park. The visitors were allowed to feed and pet the strong trunks of the huge yet loving and gentle creatures. They were fed with their favourite fruits such as papayas, watermelons and bananas. The food varied on daily basis. This was done by maintaining certain proximity to avoid unwanted distress or overwhelm the elephants. The feeding session was then continued with the bathing session. The adult elephants and their guides seemed to enjoy the moment so much that it didn’t look like work to me.
Later, it was the visitors’ turn to help bathe the baby elephants. Each baby elephant (2-7 years old) was allowed to have only 4-6 helpers at any one time. The joy they exhibited was contagious to us humans as well. Being so close to them brought the magical wonders of the nature alive in every one of the visitors. It showed how humans and nature are intertwined and how a world of splendour can be created when both are in harmony.
The 12-hour experience at the sanctuary was made extraordinary through the amazing view of the children. They saw the marvel of life in every animal. This was definitely a trip to be remembered. Thanks MAYI Yoga Academy and Super Yoga Kids!
