Lucky am I

Habitat loss is a significant cause of wildlife becoming endangered.
Deforestation, dam building, infrastructure projects among other factors displace animals just as they do humans out of their natural habitat and push them to relocate in the search of food and alternative natural environments.

With a lack of other food choices available to them, if the animals start eating or damaging crops for example, it brings them into conflict with humans especially in poor farming communities where livelihoods are often not stable.

Humans in return pose a variety of threats to wildlife by hunting animals or poaching them for the sale of their organs and parts for medicinal or decorative purposes or have a penchant for keeping exotic pets or inflicting violence, use animals in performances or keep them in unnatural and confined conditions in unconventional zoos.

Fortunately there are also the passionate kind of humans like my friends Emma, Nikki and Kate at Wildlife Alliance (WA). Along with an all Cambodian star team of keepers and a wealth of local knowledge, they are dedicated to preserve, rescue, nourish and stimulate as many creatures large and small as they possibly can back to their peak health before releasing them again into their wild homes as soon as practically possible however long that might take.

WA has a hotline that people can call into from anywhere in Cambodia to bring attention to injured or at risk wildlife and keepers and other experts then travel out to rescue the animal and bring it back to one of their rescue centers for rehabilitation.

Snares are commonly set up to trap animals in places like near the watering holes that they are known to frequent. The snares can create serious injuries such as the dismembering of limbs and immobility and set off a disastrous chain of events: for instance an animal remaining trapped and undiscovered and dying slowly from its wounds and/or starvation.

Just in the past year the WA teams have de-activated 13,500 snares in the Cardamom Mountains region in the south-west of Cambodia.

Recently a baby elephant got caught in a snare and unable to free itself, it was eventually left behind by its herd. Elephants are sensitive animals and thrive in pack communities and to leave anyone behind, the remaining herd's survival must have hung in the balance.

This is Lucky who at just 6 months old was on her way to being transported to the infamous Tuek Cheu Zoo in Kampot, known for its harsh conditions but was fortunately intercepted and brought to the Phnom Tamao Rescue Center by the WA team. That was 16 years ago and Lucky has been living here ever since.

I met her today.

Lucky's weight dropped to 2,500 kg recently due to her contracting the Herpes virus. She was given medication intravenously for 6 hours a day through her ear which provided the best access. The survival rate from Herpes in elephants is only 15% and Lucky made it through. She is one of approximately 10 diagnosed survivors in the world. Over the period of sickness she also got a blood infection in her ears and they had to be cut on the top.

The keepers are trying to get Lucky's weight up by another 300kg. Her daily diet includes 100kg of different grasses and other plant matter and she drinks 70 litres of water a day. I got to feed Lucky one of her favourite treats - chunks of fresh pineapple.

Elephants are awake 20 hours of the day. They are highly intelligent animals and need a lot of stimulation and are also well known to possess a remarkably good memory.

Elephants though have poor vision and can see only a few meters ahead of them but make up for it with an acute sense of smell. They can sniff out water from afar and will walk 5 miles chasing the scent of citrus to locate its origin.

What an uplifting and joyful day I've had at the Phnom Tamao Rescue Center. On the eve of my departure from Cambodia after living here for nearly 3 years, it's the best kind of farewell party I could have wished for. In fact it's beyond what I could have dreamed of.

Today I saw otters, sambar deers, silvered langur monkeys, pileated gibbons, tigers and leopards and elephants. They were beautiful, agile, noisy, cheeky and majestic.

The highlight of the day though was being able to hang out with Lucky. This grand but gentle giant eating out of my hand and letting me brush up against her felt hugely special.

Lucky me to meet Lucky.