ResearchBegins

IreturnedtoTECC.Myfirstgoalwastonotewhichplantswerebeingusedtotreatsickelephants.Howdidtheyusetheseplants?Whatdidtheycure?IsetouttovisittheKareninnorthernThailand.Iworkedwithaninterpreter.Weexplainedmyinteresttovillageleaders,campowners,andmahouts.Theyagreedtohelp.Weaskedthemtodescribewhatplantstheyusedforelephant medicine.

Languagewasabigchallenge.IspeakEnglishandamjuststartingtolearnThai.TheKarenpeoplespeaktheirownlanguage,Pakinyaw.ManyalsospeakThai.Somequestionshadtobetranslatedtwice.Withpatienceandrepetition,wemade progress.

Myanmar

Thailand

300 miles

300 kilometers

ThaiElephant
Conservation Center

Karen people

Asia

Thailand

Iuseaspecialpresstopreserveplant specimens.

Thisplantisusedtotreatbrokenbonesinhumansand elephants.

Next,Iaskedthemahoutstobringmeintotheforest.There,Icollectedsamplesofkeyplants.Idriedtheminaplantpress.Iidentifiedeachone.ThenItookthemtoalibraryforplantspecimens,anherbarium.

AnalyzingData

Afterseveralmonths,wehad learnedabout34plants.Theywereusedinmorethan40differenttreatments.Themostcommonusewasasatonic.Itkeepselephants healthy.

Raworcookedriceisaddedtothetonic.Tamarindfruitsandbananasareadded,too.Then,mahoutsmakeballsorpelletsofthismixture.Theyfeedoneormoretotheelephantseach day.

Iuseaspecialpresstopreserveplant specimens.

Thisplantisusedtotreatbrokenbonesinhumansand elephants.

Thestemanddriedflowerofthisplantarefedtoelephantstotreat indigestion.

Otherplantswereusedtotreatwounds,eyeproblems,brokenbones,skinproblems,andsnakebites.Bananaflowerandgingerrootarefedtomotherelephants.Someplantsaregroundup.Othersareboiledinwaterforelephantsto drink.