Below is the email I received from Soraida Salwala, the Founder and Director of the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital in Lampang, Thailand, regarding Motala, the elephant who receive her first prosthetic on August 16, 2009 after stepping on a landmine 10 years ago:

Motala’s [first] Prosthetic Leg was dented in three places when she lay down  to rest on the ground. The Protheses Foundation made a quick repair to  it and Motala is contented even though she has not put her whole weight  down  yet.

Other elephants are the same and we hope they will recover soon especially Baby Namfon.

Soraida

Motala's dented prosthetic limb.

Please stay tuned for more information at: http://www.eyesofthailand.com

Thank you,

Windy Borman

Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

I have received a few comments from people in the U.S. that they heard Motala’s first prosthesis broke.  I can confirm that, yes, the prosthetic limb did break.  It actually crumpled last week when she laid on it.  The good news is Friends of the Asian Elephant and the Prostheses Foundation worked together to repair and reinforce Motala’s prosthetic limb.

Staff from the Prostheses Foundation repairs and reinforces Motala's prosthetic.

Motala's repaired prosthetic

As you can see, she is back on her feet and doing well!  Thank you for your support and please stay tuned for more updates.

Best,

Windy Borman

Producer, Writer and Director The Eyes of Thailand

On my final production day, I interviewed Galen Garwood, a U.S. artist and filmmaker living in Chiang Mai who first became involved with the plight of the Thai Asian Elephants 10 years ago.  His stories, articles, films and art share an underlying goal to educate tourists and Thais about the respect and protection elephants deserve.

Galen shared his insight and opinions with me, including his hope that captive elephants have a sanctuary on the edge of a protected national park that contains wild elephants, so that in 2-3 elephant generations the captive elephants will be assimilated into the wild herd and the human visitors would only be able to view the elephants on the periphery of the park.  It’s a very different solution than I’ve heard thus far and would require an international non-profit organization consisting of several different “elephant voices” (thereby limiting the amount of human or government corruption involved in the “elephant politics”), but he remains hopeful that it could save the rapidly declining elephant population in Southeast Asia, while also providing tourists with a less disruptive elephant experience.

At the conclusion of our interview, he invited me to attend a 200 Club fundraiser to start an elephant hospital north of Chiang Mai.  I accepted and briefly interviewed John and Sally about why another elephant hospital was necessary before getting our picture taken by the City Life photographer.

Afterward, I filled my final afternoon in Chiang Mai by:  visiting the Dang Bakery (pronounced with a soft “a”) for some dang brownies that only cost 10 Baht, but could easily cost $5 USD; filming the elephant statues & reliefs at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, where I had flashbacks of climbing—not driving up—the mountain with the Chiang Mai Project in 2007; and joining Apple and Peter at the Sunday Night Market for foot massages before heading to the Chiang Mai airport.

It’s been an amazing journey and I’m sending out a protective force field around all my bags, which contain the 30 tapes and 2 hard drives worth of footage we filmed over the last 12 days!  I’m excited to see the footage and start editing the feature-length documentary so we can distribute it and start educating the rest of the world about the plight of the Asian Elephants and Soraida Salwala’s quest to save them.

Please continue to support us by making a tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, by clicking here.

Krup kum ka!

-Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

In order to round out my elephant sightings, I visited the Thai Elephant Conservation Center, the government-sponsored elephant center that neighbors the FAE Elephant Hospital. I had received some mixed reviews about it prior to my visit, but seeing it with my own eyes (and camera), I found it to be very similar to a zoo or animal park in the United States.  They feature an Elephant Show, Elephant Riding, Day-long or Month-long Mahout Training, an Elephant Hospital and an Elephant Dung Papermaking facility.

In the afternoon, I interviewed Richard Lair, a San Francisco native who has lived in Thailand for several decades and works as an international adviser to the TECC.  He told me that the key to the Thai Asian Elephant’s future is tourism.  Because logging was outlawed in Thailand in 1989, there are few viable jobs left for the captive elephants, which are expensive to keep.  It then comes down to what kinds of “work” or activities tourists want to see and what kinds of camps they support.

All the more reason for tourists to educate themselves about the different types of camps and atrtactions they can see in Thailand, if elephants are on their wish lists.

I’m in Thailand for 2 more days, so please continue to stay tuned.  For now I’ll leave you with two pictures from FAE.  We were so close, I had to stop by and see Motala, Mosha and Namfom before I depart for the states.

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

Mosha and Windy at FAE.

Namfom says hello to Julia at FAE.

Young elephant at Elephant Nature Park.

On August 19 I journeyed north of Chiang Mai to the Elephant Nature Park, which was founded by Sangduen “Lek” Chailert in 1995.  The ENP is basically a sanctuary for elephants Lek and her staff rescue from logging camps, trekking camps, villagers that find an orphaned elephant but cannot care for them, and sometimes even from begging on the street.

Visitors and volunteers pay to take care of the elephants in the idyllic setting at the base of lush mountains, which can mean anything from preparing baskets of food for the 33 elephants that call ENP home to feeding them, bathing them, or cutting grass with machetes.

Before I sat down to interview her, I had a ground-level view of Lek interacting with her herd of elephants, which include 2 babies.  At one point, I was literally in the middle of the herd—elephants all around me—filming Lek scratch the backs and bellies of the baby elephants while their mothers had lunch nearby.  For a split second I thought, one sudden move and I’ll be trampled; but the footage was amazing!

During her interview, Lek explained that her vision is to educate the mahouts (elephant caretakers), tourists and her government to take better care of the country’s symbol, by providing an alternative to work camps and begging.  For more information, please visit http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/index.htm

-Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

P.S. You can support the documentary production by making a tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, by clicking here.  Thank you!

Today I joined my friend, Peter, on a trip to Northern Thailand.  We stopped along the highway so I could film the scenic spots (i.e. rice patties at the base of mountains) and eventually made it to Mae Sai, the northern-most city in Thailand, bordering Myanmar (Burma) and part of the once notorious Golden Triangle.  Mae Sai had an interesting mix between Thai, Burmese, Chinese and English, as evidenced by the sign below and the Chinese style temple.

Store Sign in Mae Sai in Thai, English, Chinese and Burmese.

We crossed the border into Myanmar—which was quite an experience—and I bought a jade elephant and two Taiwanese style teacups, since one of mine broke this year.  Upon crossing back into Thailand, we did more jade shopping and I learned to feel the vibration of “live jade” and how to look for the Imperial Jade color.

On our drive back to Chiang Mai, we stopped at the Chinese cultural studies building at Mae Fah Luang University, which is a perfect example of feng shui architecture and landscape, and had dinner at a delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Chiang Rai.

Outside the restaurant, not one—but 2—street elephants walked by.  The first looked about 4-years old and was playful and attentive when tourists and locals feed him, despite the elephant keeper’s bull hook poking into his ear on the side away from the feeders.  The second was only about 2-years old and his elephant keeper was cruel.  He pulled his ears and refused to let anyone feed it bananas, only the sugar cane stalks he was selling.  When the elephant took a banana Peter had in his hand, the keeper hit the elephant on the head with the sharp end of his bull hook and pulled him away!

I filmed both of these instances, including when we drove by the elephant and Peter threw the bunch of bananas for the elephant to eat.  I don’t know if the last part will make it into the film, but it was both good for documentary and hard to witness the elephants being so mistreated.  Especially considering that these young elephants were most likely wild-caught, meaning they were captured, had to watch their mothers die to protect them, and then endured more pain and hardship until they were “broken” into being street elephants.  If they survive until their 7th birthdays, they will receive their “license” (sort of like the title for a car) and then they can be traded, sold, purchased, exported at the whim of their owners.  This will continue for the rest of their lives, which can be up to 80 years old.

It’s a sad reality for an animal that is supposed to be the revered symbol of its country.

-Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

P.S. You can support the documentary production by making a tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, by clicking here.  Thank you!

Today, I had the opportunity to interview Soraida Salwala, Founder and Director of Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE).  Our two-hour interview turned into 6.5 hours of talking, which included lunch and tea.  I found her to be a pillar of strength and a compassionate advocate for Asian Elephants, while maintaining her sense of humor and view of the BIG picture.

Her goal is for Thailand to take such good care of its elephants that there is no longer any need for her Elephant Hospital; but that hope, she admits, seems unlikely given the fact that there are less than 3,000 elephants left in captivity in Thailand and more are wild-caught, sold, exported, abused, neglected or injured every year.

When I asked her what is the biggest threat to Asian Elephants, she unequivocally said, “Mankind.”

She also had some very pointed advice about how tourists to Thailand can help save and protect Thailand’s elephants:
1.    Don’t feed elephants on the street.
2.    Speak to the managers at the elephant camps or “sanctuaries” if you see any elephant abuse and send a letter to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
3.    Don’t buy a painting by an elephant unless you can see that the elephant is truly enjoying it and the elephant keeper is not poking or prodding the elephant with a bull hook.

As for what Thailand can do, “Stop exporting Thai elephants,” she said, with the same matter-of-factness.  “It’s all based on economics…on supply and demand.  If zoos stop wanting elephants, than Thailand will stop exporting them.”  She says the same goes for tourists: “If tourists stop feeding the elephants on the streets or do not go to camps that abuse the elephants” then the elephant keepers will get the message and change.

It’s going to take more than one advocate to save the Asian Elephants, however.  I hope that the many voices can rise above the “elephant politics” and cooperate, or else in 20 years the only way people can see elephants in Thailand will be the statues and paintings that speckle the country…

Sincerely,

Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director The Eyes of Thailand

P.S. You can support our documentary production by making a tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, by clicking here.  Thank you!

Preparing Motala's prosthetic limb.

Work on Motala’s prosthetic limb began at 9:00am this morning and shortly after lunch Motala took her first steps on her prosthetic limb.  Soraida Salwala fed her small clumps of sugar cane and petted her trunk while the crew from the Prostheses Foundation first slipped on a custom-made cushion, then secured it with an elephant-sized stocking donated by Cherilon.  Finally, the crew slipped on the plastic prosthetic and then cleared out to witness her first steps.

Motala's new prosthetic enables her to walk 10 years after stepping on a landmine.

The crowd was all smiles as she turned on her three good legs and then tentatively applied some weight to her prosthetic limb.  When she was certain it would hold her, she slowly strolled out to the clearing near her unit and enjoyed a sunbath.

Tomorrow I have my one-on-one interview with Soraida to connect the dots between all the events I witnessed this weekend, before I head back to Chiang Mai  in the afternoon.

It’s been an eventful week in Thailand and more shooting days ahead, so please continue to stay tuned!

Krup kum ka!

Windy Borman

Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

P.S. To date, the film production has been entirely funded by D.V.A. Produtions and donations.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to help us edit and distribute the film, please click here and your donation will be processed by the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society. Thank you!

Today was one of those days I am reminded why I am a documentary filmmaker.  I arrived at FAE a little before 9am and Mosha’s 3rd prosthetic fitting was already underway.  After dumping the bags and grabbing the cameras, Liam, Julia and I raced up to her.  Based on the look on Mosha’s face, I have a feeling she remembered me from 2007.

Mosha says "Sawasdee ka!"

Therdchai Jivacate, M.D. and the staff at the Prostheses Foundation took until lunch to finish Mosha’s fitting and it warmed my heart to film her walking around!  Dr. Therdchai also explained that they use parts from a car engine to create the “ankle” of the prosthetic.

After lunch, the crew moved to the lower unit at FAE and began Motala’s prosthesis.  It will take 1.5 days to complete, but they measured her amputated leg, made a sand cast, a plaster-like mold of her leg, and then began the work to custom make a silicone cushion to protect the tender skin on her stump.  The final touch today was to apply the black plastic coating (usually used to cover a flat-bed truck) and mark it for where they will attach a metal post to make the peg-leg part of the prosthesis.

It was a very exciting and emotional day.  As Motala was measured and getting her sand cast made, Soraida whispered: you’re going to get a new leg just like Mosha, and the two of can walk together soon.  Motala was so calm and present during the whole thing, several eyes started watering, including Soraida’s, who explained that this day almost didn’t happen for so many reasons.

I’m sure the gravity of the footage will hit me when I’m logging the tapes (not watching camera angles, light and audio levels), but it was amazing and exhausting at the same time.  And we still have one more day of fittings!  Please stay tuned.

Best,

Windy Borman

Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

Today, I decided to put my extra day in Chiang Mai to good use.  First, I visited the Elephant Nature Park office near Thapae Gate.  The Founder and Director, Sangduen “Lek” Chailert, is well known in the international elephant conservation and animal rights world and has appeared in several TV shows and documentaries.  I wanted to round out my interviews for The Eyes of Thailand by interviewing her, so I visited the office.  I met Lek and she agreed to let me film at the ENP on August 19-20.

Filming at the Chiang Mai Zoo.

Because it’s foggy in Chiang Mai today, Julia and I decided to postpone our trip to Doi Suthep because we would not be able to see much of Chiang Mai there.  Instead, we went on an elephant hunt at the Chiang Mai Zoo.  A few notes on the Zoo: it’s very clean, has well-kept grounds, and if you were a fan of zoos, you might think it was nice.  Animals were kept in cement enclosures, not unlike the zoos in the US, and in the center of the park, there is a large “Presentation Stage” where handlers have animals do tricks for school kids.

Julia and I followed the signs to the Elephants, but instead found a large Elephant Sanctuary, so to speak, that was under construction.  Julia pointed out that the ground is grass and mud, which is much better for the elephants’ feet than the concrete used elsewhere, but this enclosure had an odd ramp that lead to none other than the… Presentation Stage.  That’s when we remembered that there was a drawing on a poster at the Presentation Stage that showed an elephant painting…

Still searching for the elephants at the zoo, we wandered toward the panda exhibit.  I am not exaggerating when I say, Chiang Mai is crazy about its pandas!  They successfully breed a panda cub recently and panda fever is everywhere (in and out of the zoo): signs, posters, advertisements, painted umbrellas, stuffed animals, a person dressed up in a Panda suit bowing and waving as people enter the exhibit.  It’s an amazing spectacle.

As I filmed this from a distance, Julia noticed an elephant behind a fence.  What we originally thought was an exhibit turned out to be a separate gated area where a group of 4 individuals (who did not appear to work for the zoo), were selling small baskets of fruit to tourists for them to feed the elephant.  The irony of a working elephant at a zoo that is building a “sanctuary” near the “Presentation Stage” did not escape me, so I filmed this  while Julia took pictures.  Julia called him a “tusker” because he had beautiful, long tusks.  I noticed: his sweet, wise eyes; the chain he had on his front foot; and, the slight head swaying that is common among captive elephants. Nonetheless, the tourists paid to feed him, took pictures, and talked animatedly about getting the chance to feed an elephant.

It’s sort of a Catch-22: if the elephant owners have an elephant, they need to have enough money to care for it; but in order to care for it, they need to exploit it by giving tourists a novel experience.

We wrapped up filming at the zoo and then joined my friends Peter and Apple, who I met in Chiang Mai in 2007, for lunch at Suan Paak.  They have the best salads–well, the only salad I’ve found that is safe enough to eat–and the dressing is amazing!

After lunch, I filmed some elephant statues and fountains around Chiang Mai, before returning to the Uniserv to blog while sipping a cha yen and nibbling on Macadamia Pie at Doi Chang.

Tonight is the Night Market, where we hope to spot some street elephants for the documentary, and tomorrow at 7:30am we depart for Friends of the Asian Elephant.

-Windy Borman

Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand

P.S. Production in Thailand is scheduled until August 24, 2009.  If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution to help fund the production, please click here to donate through the film’s fiscal sponsor, The San Francisco Film Society.  Thank you!

This is how I roll in Chiang Mai: Aviators, Bike Helmet, I think I look like a '70s Cop from "Chips".