Our Big Elephant Rescue My Life

I'm Natasha and I'm 12...

She can be funny. She can also be very competitive.

..and this is my 14-year-old brother, Joe.

He can be a little annoying but we get along OK.

We live in the Midlands with our mum, dad and dog Betsy.

This is Bae Fern. She's a three-year-old Asian elephant

and this is her mum, Thom Kam.

They live nearly 3,000 miles away in Thailand

and work in a tourist camp.

The elephants are treated really badly.

They're forced to give rides to people and do unnatural things.

So my family has been raising money to help Bae Fern and her mum.

We're going to rescue them from the tourist camp and walk them

83 miles to freedom.

It's just unreal.

It's a mission filled with danger, difficulty and drama.

That's a steep fall.

It's our big elephant rescue!

-Do you remember that, Joe?

-I had to sleep with you in a tent.

THEY LAUGH

Six years ago, we went on holiday to Thailand as a family.

This is when you first met elephants.

-That was such fun.

-Yeah.

That's a nice picture.

I love elephants so much because they're so big

but they're so gentle.

It's always been my dream to be an elephant vet.

They're such beautiful, magical creatures.

But we discovered some elephants in Thailand are in trouble.

There are more elephants living in tourist camps than in the wild

and holiday-makers pay to ride them and see them perform tricks.

We found out that elephants aren't treated very well

and, in some camps, they're treated very badly.

A camp is where elephants are forced to do things

for the tourists' entertainment.

From the riding, elephants get bad backs

because an elephant's back isn't designed for a chair.

They are constantly being controlled by hooks.

They are forced to dance to music as well

and this is really bad for the elephants

because standing on their back legs or sitting down

can actually crush their internal organs.

It makes me just feel like, why would you make an elephant do that?

I just don't really get it.

Like, it's obvious that's not how an elephant would naturally behave.

It's strange how people can somehow convince themselves

that they're doing nothing wrong.

An elephant doesn't want to be dancing or painting

or giving you a ride.

An elephant would much rather be free in the forest,

ripping down trees or swimming in a river.

We decided to try and help the elephants

so, two years ago, we set up a charity.

We're hoping that, in the future, elephants won't have to live

or work in camps and they won't have to do dancing or tricks.

We're starting by rescuing two elephants who currently live

and work in a tourist camp.

We've raised the money to take them home to Huay Pakkoot,

the Thai mountain village that owns them.

-Good luck.

-Thanks.

Today, I'm talking to my classmates about our big elephant rescue.

We are walking two elephants, a mother called Thom Kam

and her baby, Bae Fern.

We are going to be walking them eight days through Thai jungle,

where we can take them back to their home in the forest.

We're working closely with the villagers.

They had to send their elephants to a tourist camp in Chiang Mai

to earn money, but now we'll pay for them for as long as we can.

The tribe can't afford to keep them and provide food for all

its villagers, so they've had to send them to the camps to work.

We're going to raise the funds to help them live there again,

where elephants get to live in their natural home in the forest.

Our 83-mile trek with Thom Kam and Bae Fern is a giant sponsored walk.

There are 13 of us taking part and we have all been busy raising

money so we can free the two elephants from the tourist camp.

Thank you so much for listening.

I'll keep you updated on how the trek goes.

APPLAUSE

She did a really good presentation.

It made me want to help as much as I could.

I now understand a lot more about how elephants are treated

and how it's not that good in some places.

I'm really proud of what she's doing

and I think it's for a really good cause.

-Is this a hill or a mountain?

-A hill.

This is a hill!?

Walking continually for 83 miles is going to be really hard,

so we're doing lots of training to get fit!

Hard.

It's very, very steep.

We'll be taking the elephants all the way from the tourist camp

back to their village, high in the mountains.

It's going to be very rainy because it is the rainy season,

so there is going to be a lot more mud.

It's going to be a lot more slippy,

but then it's going to be very hot as well,

so it's going to be a lot more difficult than here.

Our big elephant rescue will take us over a week

and, every night, we'll be camping out in the Thai forest.

I've done some practice camping in hammocks

and I like them and I think I'll be able to do it,

but I'm a bit nervous.

Shall we race to the top?

We're very competitive.

We'll always trying to be the first to get to the top of the hill.

It's not fair, you've got longer legs.

Me and Natasha will help each other through.

It's going to be tough, so I think we'll all have to help each other.

I am packing all the things I'm going to need

for the long flight over to Thailand.

Mum is downstairs packing all the important things,

like my walking boots because it's going to be so muddy and wet.

Even without the elephants, it would be just such an amazing thing,

walking through Thai jungle,

but add in the elephants and it's going to be 100 times better

cos we'll really get to know the elephants

and we'll get to spend time with them

and I'm really looking forward to it.

See you in Thailand!

We're now in Chiang Mai and it's really different here.

It's really busy, it's hectic, there's a lot of people.

Here in Chiang Mai, there are elephants everywhere.

There are a lot of elephants on T-shirts.

I've seen elephant ties, dresses, trousers.

In Thailand, people think elephants are sacred,

but, sadly, that doesn't always mean they are treated well.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Today, we're helping out in an elephant sanctuary.

Most of the animals here have been rescued from tourist camps.

It saves lots of elephants who are really badly treated in the camps.

Elephants like Pang Dow.

Pang Dow broke her ankle

because she was wearing such a short chain

and she was pushed forward, probably by another elephant.

She just went into it and her leg just went over,

which is why she's got quite a deformed ankle.

Every day, Pang Dow's ankle is bathed in medicine

so it doesn't get infected.

Lotus has abscesses all down the backs of her legs

and they need to be cleaned out every day.

Right in the hole. That's it. Good girl, Lotus.

I want to be a vet.

This is like vet stuff.

I think most kids would probably find it a bit weird

and maybe a bit gross, but I don't.

I think it's really interesting and actually quite fun.

Excellent.

Seeing the damage up close has made us even more determined

to rescue our two elephants

so they don't have to work and can go home to the forest.

The next morning, we join our fellow trekkers.

We're leaving.

Everyone else doing the trek has also been sponsored.

It's finally time to meet the elephants,

mum Thom Kam and her baby Bae Fern.

Bae Fern's very small.

Bae Fern is just three years old

and has never left the tourist camp where her mum works,

so to make sure she stays calm on our trip,

her aunt and uncle will also be walking her home.

It's going to be a really big challenge,

but I've seen the elephants now

and we're going to change their lives forever,

so it's going to be really amazing.

On our trek, the adult elephants have to wear long chains.

They don't hurt the elephants, and are used to tie them at night,

so they don't stray too far.

The elephants will always be with their carers, called mahouts,

who will look after them and lead the trek.

The head mahout is Sinch Hai,

who is from the village that owns Thom Kam and her baby Bae Fern.

Poo, can you ask Sinch Hai how he feels about elephants?

-TRANSLATION:

-I've been with elephants since I was born.

I have a connection with them and love them.

It's like we're part of the same family.

The elephants going back to the forest is like them going home.

When you go home, you're happy.

It will be easier to look after the elephants

and they will have a better life.

By working with Sinch Hai and his village,

we can hopefully change Thom Kam and Bae Fern's lives forever.

And it looks like the elephants can't wait to get going.

They're off and for the next week and 83 miles,

wherever they go, we'll follow.

It looks really weird, like,

four elephants just walking down the road.

Baby Bae Fern has spent her entire life in a tourist camp.

Her tail's, like, always, like, wagging.

This is her first ever taste of freedom...

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

..and the three-year-old sees it as a chance to eat all day long!

She's so cute.

She's so cute.

She grabs a bit of everything as she walks past it.

We're off the road.

In the forest, there are creepy crawlies almost as big as Bae Fern!

Just there is a massive yellow and black,

spotty spider and, er,

we don't know if he is poisonous or not yet,

but he doesn't look very friendly.

This is Bae Fern's first time in the Thai forest and she loves it.

But we're not finding it quite as easy.

It's really muddy from all the rain

and it's now really open, so the sun's just coming right down on us

and it's really, really hot.

Big jump.

She's not going to make it. She's not going to make it.

She didn't make it.

I totally did make it!

But after eight hours of solid walking,

it feels like we may never make it to our camp.

We're about half an hour away, I think,

and I really, really want to get there.

I really hope we don't have to hang our hammocks up in the dark

cos, I don't know about you, but I don't like doing that.

Right now, the elephants are out in the forest

and we're here setting up camp

so we've got somewhere to sleep tonight.

On the trek, we get to sleep in covered hammocks,

which are like tents that we hang from the trees.

It's amazing sleeping in a hammock.

I would like to hang one up in my bedroom if I could.

That's me done. Goodnight, everyone.

The elephants spent the night deeper in the forest.

They only need four hours' sleep,

so while we carry on snoozing,

they can munch on the tasty plants and trees.

Morning!

My hammock was really good and really comfy.

I slept really well in it and I felt really safe all night.

We've still got 68 miles left to walk and everyone is raring to go...

..after a spot of breakfast.

This is Bae Fern, the baby.

Bae Fern is really cute and funny when she's walking past

and ripping trees down.

She just can't stop eating!

But we all need to keep up our strength.

I think we're both a bit daunted by, like,

the distance we have to travel.

But the elephants have to do it too, so...

Yeah, but they're used to walking.

Cos elephants are better walkers than people.

They might be better walkers, but are they better swimmers?

Bae Fern's lived her entire life in captivity

and this is her first swim in the wild.

That was always going to happen.

I think she might need to practise her diving!

Baby Bae Fern is the boss and she's telling us

it's time to hit the road again.

But we don't get to choose when we get wet.

One minute, it's boiling and you're too hot

and the next you're soaked and it's pouring with rain.

As well as getting drenched,

helping Bae Fern and her mum also means getting up

at ridiculous o'clock.

We had to get up really early

and get as many miles in as we can

before the sun gets up and it gets too hot.

Even at four in the morning,

watching the elephants swishing their tails

is surprisingly hypnotic.

It's amazing being up front so you can, like, watch the elephants

and you can see that you're walking right behind them.

They're strangely addictive, elephant bums.

They're just really funny.

I don't know, there's just something about them.

We're really high above the clouds.

Even though my legs were hurting, I didn't think we'd climbed that high,

but it's really, really cool to just look down and see the clouds.

All this walking is taking its toll on the baby of the group

And I don't mean me!

Bae Fern has only got little legs,

so the male elephant keeps going up behind and pushing her.

I wish you'd do that to me.

OK, hold on.

Baby Bae Fern isn't the only one who is starting to struggle

with walking 20 miles every day.

I can feel a blister coming.

Ow!

Walking for ten hours really does take it out of you.

My feet, they're starting to blister

and they've gone a bit purple and bruised

and they're generally just a bit sore and achy.

But the big elephants make our mammoth trek look easy.

They're getting to enjoy the forest

and it's lovely just walking next to them

and seeing them eating food as they go.

I think they are enjoying it.

It's such a different experience from the camps they used to be in.

And after living in a tourist camp,

this adventure is one big buffet for Bae Fern.

Although we're helping them,

Bae Fern and her mum are also helping me.

When I'm hurting or tired,

I just look at those elephants and remember why we're doing it

and why it's so important

and then I feel motivated to carry on.

Fantastic news!

We're halfway through our trek and heading higher into the mountains

and I've found the perfect way to handle the steep hills.

It's actually easier going up backwards.

But the elephants are still much faster than us

and tonight they're way ahead!

The elephants very rudely walked on and left us,

but they are going to spend a nice night out somewhere in the forest.

It may not seem easy to lose three big elephants and one baby one

but we've managed it!

Soon after dawn, the race is on to find them and their mahouts.

No sign of elephants yet.

Oh, wait! Footprints!

It looks like elephants are rubbish at playing hide and seek.

We've seen a lot of elephant footprints,

which hopefully means we are catching them up.

And that has definitely been done by an elephant.

And before long we spot another vital clue,

poo.

Which shows we're on the right track because we haven't seen them

while we've been walking this morning,

so it shows we are getting quite close.

I think they must be quite near because it looks quite fresh.

Look, there's the elephants, Dad.

I think it will be easier now we're walking with them.

It's always more fun when you're with elephants.

Being this close and walking with elephants

will never stop being cool.

Bae Fern is hunting for food again

and because she's new to the forest,

she's totally fearless about how far she stretches to get it.

I've seen her getting very close to the edge and reaching out and stuff.

Has Bae Fern fallen?

That's a steep fall.

We can't see Bae Fern in the dense undergrowth

and we don't know if she's hurt.

Her mum, Thom Kam, is getting more and more upset.

Thom Kam is going down.

It's really scary.

I hope Bae Fern, the baby elephant, is OK.

Thom Kam can't wait to find her little girl

because falling can seriously injure baby elephants.

She was roaring and she was desperate to get to Bae Fern

and now they're both down there.

Finally, she's made it!

CHEERING

Her mum pushed her to safety

and, thankfully, she's not been injured.

And after a quick scratch, brave little Bae Fern carries on trekking.

That was quite scary but Bae Fern's not hurt or anything so,

I'm quite relieved.

I'm not trusting the edges any more.

I know elephants are a lot heavier, but even so,

I'm not taking any chances.

Bae Fern is definitely on top form again.

She's all over the place, still running around.

She is just as mad and crazy as before.

As well as walking 83 miles,

the road is getting steeper and steeper.

We're higher than Ben Nevis in Scotland!

It's a long way down.

Just don't tell Bae Fern or she'll be skidding down it again.

Now we're so high up in the mountains,

we catch our first glimpse of the village we're trekking to.

-See the white mast?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-See the white mast?

There, look. That's Huay Pakkoot.

It means we're nearly there.

Seeing Thom Kam and Bae Fern's village is so inspiring!

This is truly a dream come true.

I've always wanted to help elephants

and now I'm finally getting to do it, it's just,

it's just unreal.

To know that you're taking them away from the life

where they have to do shows or carry people around all day

and taking them to a place where they can just be free

is really cool.

We've done so much walking

that we're actually going to arrive tomorrow,

a day earlier than planned!

Morning, Joe, are you awake? Yeah?

Today is the day we get to the village.

It's really hard to see how happy I am right now

cos I'm so tired.

It's, like, 5.30 or something ridiculous.

We are almost there.

We've still got another 6k to walk,

but that feels like nothing compared to what we've already done.

Walking alongside a baby elephant like this

is just, like, the most special experience you can have, really.

We've almost finished our sponsored walk

and we've raised enough money for Huay Pakkoot to look after Thom Kam

and little Bae Fern here in the forest,

instead of them having to earn money

working in the tourist camp in Chiang Mai.

-OK, we're nearly here!

-Woo!

Look! Look! Look! We can stop walking!!

Woo-hoo! High five!

At the village, we meet another special little elephant

who also needs our help.

This is Mario.

He's little boy who already lives here

and he's the third elephant we're going to be supporting.

He seems to be getting along really well with Bae Fern and Thom Kam,

which is important cos she'll be like a mother to him.

Cos they'll all be staying in a big herd.

The new elephant family is off to get to know each other

in their new forest home.

Tomorrow, we'll visit them to say goodbye,

but today we've been invited to hang out in the village and it's awesome!

We've been in the village watching weaving, basket making.

We've been foraging for vegetables in the crop fields.

It's a really interesting culture

and I'd love to spend more time here and learn more about it.

I think I could get used to life here. I really like it.

So, would you miss your Xbox? Your laptop?

Yeah, but, like, it's still a cool way to live, like...

Yeah, it is, and the views are much better over here.

It was a welcome and thank you

for bringing the elephants from the camps back to their village.

They say that the elephants are part of their family,

so we're bringing their family back to them

so they were really grateful.

It was really overwhelming and amazing to take part in this.

Each of the elders put a different string around our wrist

and, like, blessed it and everything.

It was a really nice evening.

In seven long days, we've walked our elephants for 83 miles

to bring them home to their village

and before we leave Thailand,

we're going into the forest one final time,

to say a very important goodbye.

I am sad to say goodbye but I know the forest is where they belong.

It makes me feel so, so happy to see the elephants like this.

To see them back in the forest, back in their home,

it just makes me tingle.

I feel so happy.

There are still 4,000 elephants captive in Thailand,

but for these individuals, we've changed their lives completely

and they're now free.

It just makes me feel like, mission accomplished!