Love of elephants fuels bid for trip

BONDING: Taneatua's Awatea Carnegie is hoping a little help from the community will allow her to return to the elephants in Thailand. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Taneatua's Awatea Carnegie wants to go back to the elephants - and she needs your help to do it.

The former Trident High School and Otago pre-med student spent a month in Thailand last year as part of the Global Volunteer and Travel programme.

The self-confessed animal lover said the desire to volunteer and being bitten by the travel bug were the two main contributors to her decision to take part in the programme.

"I had already decided to take a gap-year from my studies and the opportunity to work with the elephants came up," she said.

She described the living conditions in Petchaburi as "really basic" with only the bare essentials for personal hygiene.

"But only hours into our first day I knew I wanted to stay. The people there were just awesome and I fell in love with the elephants."

Part of each day was spent gathering banana trees and pineapple tops to feed the elephants. "Armed with machetes, we spent a healthy part of the day doing pretty physical work. It was hard but also rewarding.

"I learned so much about the mistreatment of the elephants in Thailand and it just broke my heart."

According to Miss Carnegie, the elephants are captured as babies, even if it means the captors have to kill all of the adult elephants surrounding them to take them away.

"Once they are captured they are tied up, beaten until they scream and starved into submission."

Then they are ready for the tourism industry. When the elephants are sick their keeper will sell them otherwise they continue to work them until they die. The Global Work and Travel Company barter to buy the elephants which are then looked after by the volunteers.

Miss Carnegie hopes to return. She has the opportunity to do so as part of The Global Work and Travel Company's $11,000 giveaway competition for all global travellers.

Anyone who had travelled with the company were asked to send in their best and most interesting pictures/videos from their adventures around the world.

The winner is decided by the most likes and shares on a Facebook page - and that's where Miss Carnegie needs your help.

If you want to help Miss Carnegie's bid go to www.globalworkandtravel.com/volunteer/elephant-refuge-and-education-thailand to vote.

"If I win, the money will be used to get back to Thailand to work with the elephants."