It has taken only a short time for two Melbourne girls to make a very big impression on the lives of some very special Thai folk.

Just two years ago, Michelle Reedy and Ewa Narkiewicz left the big city life of Melbourne to take up residence at the Royal Elephant Kraal, in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Michelle, a former senior zoo keeper from Melbourne, and her partner Ewa, a photographic artist, have combined their talents and love of elephants to help establish a successful Elephant Stay program at the Royal Elephant Kraal in central Thailand. The Kraal was originally where the wild elephants from the jungles of Thailand where herded, so they could be captured and assessed for domestication and usage in war. Today the Kraal serves as a centre to care for, and rehabilitate elderly and post- working elephants, and runs many projects to create a sustainable future for elephants including a very successful breeding program.

How successful you may ask? So successful that since 2000, 34 “little bundles of joy” have been born. At an average birth weight of 80-100kg, I can assure you, a baby elephant is one very big bundle of joy.

Elephant Stay, a program operating within the Kraal, sets out to give the tourist a chance to have a hands-on experience at what it’s like to be an elephant handler, or what is know as a Mahout.

For those who do stay with the girls, I can assure you, it’s not just some elephant ‘amusement park’. Upon arrival, you are allocated your own elephant, and for the duration of your stay, are responsible for the upkeep and welfare of your animal. Just like a real Mahout, this means twice daily bathing in the local river, the occasional ‘scrub’ (which is a mammoth task in itself, pardon the pun!), and the ever constant feeding of their elephant.

It also means the inevitable cleaning of their resting places. ‘Cleaning of their resting places’ I hear you ask? Well, when an elephant eats around 150kg of food per day, this equates to shovelling a lot of, you guessed it, SHIT!

But rest assured, the benefits of a good hard day’s work pays off when you realise what an amazing experience it is, to work along side such an intelligent, strong, yet gentle giant of the animal kingdom.

Visitors are welcome to stay and live with the elephants for as short or as long as they wish, but you really should opt in for at least three days, so as to really get a better understanding of what life as a Mahout is really about. Trust me, it will be the highlight of your holiday, and leave you with memories to last a life time.

If you are interested in finding out more about Elephant Stay, or are thinking about visiting on your next trip to Thailand, visit their website at www.elephantstay.com