Internship in elephant care and protection!

Read about Pierre Yves's elephant protection internship in Chiang Mai

Victims of tourist activities, many elephants are taken into shelters to be cared for in a natural environment. Read the testimonial from our latest intern, who worked on the project in Thailand.

WHAT THIS INTERNSHIP HAS BROUGHT ME...

In truth, this internship has given me many things. From a practical point of view, I acquired language skills to start with, in English of course, because although my level wasn't bad at the start, I noticed the difference after 6 weeks, when I started laughing at the jokes told by English people, as well as Pakinya (local dialect).

Also, I developed skills in understanding elephant behavior, recognizing when elephants are healthy or not.

I also learned to recognize a few medicinal herbs in the jungle and how to use them, which is very useful, as some are more effective than modern medicines, such as the plant that stops bleeding when applied to a wound (effective against leeches).

This experience also opened my mind a little more, thanks to the people present from all walks of life, the differences of each, the kindness of the villagers, the joy of the village children, I had a wealth of enriching experiences, and was happy every day to be present in the village.

SOME UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES?

My first encounter with an elephant. I was lucky, it was the big male, he's very impressive, and as we had bananas, he came straight to us. It's very, very impressive to see him grab bananas with his trunk in our hands. But you mustn't think that this is an open door to cuddles in passing; you avoid touching an elephant if it doesn't make the first move to do so.

Sunday evening meals at the camp with all the volunteers were very convivial moments, with dishes being passed around, chatting and simply having a good time, and if we were lucky, there were several volunteers doing the washing up, which extended the conviviality.

Speaking of the camp, the first time you arrive and see the mountains in front of you, it's magical - you'd spend hours looking at them.

Finally, for my part, I loved giving English lessons to the village children. They're as boisterous as can be, but with patience, smiles and, above all, not letting it go to your head, you have a magical time.

IF I HAD TO RATE THE SERVICES OFFERED...

• Pre-departure information: 3/5: Although the information we received was fairly complete, some points were missing, such as what clothing is allowed. You have to know that you don't show your shoulders or knees, and of course your navel in Thailand, and just because thousands of tourists do it doesn't mean you should either. Especially in the village, you'll forget about it straight away.

• Registration process: 4/5: The process is clear and straightforward, provided you understand English properly.

• Supervision / project coordinators: 3/5: The base manager was leaving when I arrived, so I hardly ever saw her. The staff will answer all your questions, so don't hesitate to ask. What's more, you have to understand that they get new people every 15 days, which means they have to repeat the same instructions, so sometimes they may be missing something. So don't hesitate!

• Timetable for volunteers and trainees: 4/5: The first two weeks are busy, so you won't have time to do much else. Between hikes, dekaren (pakinya) courses, elephant workshops and so on, it'll be, as I said, very full. Then there will be more free time, time you can use for other activities such as preparing lessons for the children, presentations for other volunteers, internship projects for trainees. One day every 2 weeks is dedicated to cleaning the base. This means that the person concerned stays at the camp and cleans everything (then we alternate, so the cleaning is done every day!).

• Food and lodging: 3/5: It can be very different depending on the family you're staying with. I have no complaints, but you should be aware that you'll be sleeping under a mosquito net, and that the walls don't usually go all the way up (so there's a space that opens onto the outside). With water worries in Thailand, the toilet is a hole and toilet paper goes into bags, and the bathroom is a cold water pipe. I quickly got used to it, though. Take a shower at lunchtime after the morning hike.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS COURSE?

Yes, without hesitation, it's hard to sum up, but you've probably heard the saying that when you go to live in the north, you cry twice, when you arrive and when you leave? well, this is worse, except that you don't cry when you arrive, you're amazed.

... ET REAL STEP ?

As far as I'm concerned, Real Step has been a perfect point of contact: enthusiastic, attentive, available and flexible. So I can give them a 5/5!