Elephants part of tourist trail in Bali
Elephants part of tourist trail in Bali
Bali, Indonesia's top tourist destination, has another tourist
attraction to offer in addition to its famed beaches and cultural
riches. It is the Elephant Safari Park located in Taro village,
Gianyar regency, about 50 kilometers north of Denpasar. The
Jakarta Post photographer P.J. Leo compiled the following report
from a recent visit to the park.
DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Few local or foreign vacationers know the
"Island of the Gods" has opened an elephant safari park offering
the thrill of a ride on the big, lumbering animals.
The pachyderms carry tourists through a quiet, cool forest,
733 meters above sea level, accompanied by a mahout, the man who
harnesses the elephant with a sharp iron hook.
The park has 17 elephants and 19 mahouts brought in from the
Way Kambas elephant training center in Lampung, southern Sumatra.
The park is one of the seven tourist attractions managed by
Bali Adventure Tours in cooperation with the Elephant
Conservation Institute in Way Kambas, the Bali provincial
government, forestry ministry and Taro village.
Sitaresmi Sylvi Aryjati, spokesperson for the park, said the
two-hectare facility opened in August 1997 but has yet to be
formally inaugurated because it was still incomplete.
"We are building facilities for the elephants," Sylvi said.
Tours available cover 1.5 kilometers (US$29) or 2.5 kilometers
for ($39) through scenery dominated by forests and terraced rice
fields.
An elephant carries a maximum of two passengers per trip, with
only one rider allowed if he or she is big. The park limits the
daily number of visitors to 180.
"The policy aims at keeping the elephants fit," Sylvi said.
To promote the park, the company is promoting the slogan:
"Don't leave Bali without a Visit to The Elephant Safari Park."
A German tourist said she enjoyed the ride. She learned of it
from the owner of the bungalow in Ubud where she stayed with her
husband.
Tourists are particularly amused by the trained elephants'
showing off at the end of the ride when the passenger dismounts.
Not all visitors to the park take a ride on the big beasts.
Some look around and others feed the beasts. Most visits are
arranged by the tour company.
"Some tourists taking part in mountain bike riding or rafting
on Ayung River will usually visit the safari park because they
have paid for additional tickets," Sylvi said.
The park has also benefited Taro villagers, who provide part
of the elephants feed like stems of coconut leaves and grass.
The 17 elephants need 1,160 kilograms of grass and 440 stems
of coconut leaves daily. Each of them also needs 15 vitamin B
tablets a day, according to Kade Adnyana, operation supervisor of
the park.
"The elephants are also fed with corncobs, bamboo shoots and
tubers. In the dry season, they also eat banana stems which
contain water."
Taro villagers have also opened souvenir shops. The park is
building a restaurant and a lodge within the complex.
"We think the lodge is needed because tourists like staying
and playing with the elephants in the park," Sylvi said.