Carmen Mensink about Yitor:
When I came to stay at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal for some days, I was assigned to take care of elephant Yitor. She's a beautiful animal, easy to recognize between the other elephants because of the light pigment parts on her ears and the upper part of her trunk. As elephants get older many of them naturally develop these pigment spots.
It was my first time being so close to a wild animal. At first I was a bit scared, a natural reaction because an elephant is sooo big in size! And Yitor isn't even the biggest of the bunch. But after my first ride on Yitor's back (you are actually sitting on her neck) I noticed that I became more relaxed and dared to come closer, and let her eat from my hand.
Yitor is a very patient elephant, and she loves it when you speak sweet words to her and pet her. I did that a lot on the first day and the second day I had the feeling she recognized me, it's amazing how you can create a bond with an elephant so fast!
Yitor looooves to eat and even steals food from the other elephants (but the others do that too). She also likes to throw straw on her head, making it look as if she's wearing a blond wig...
It was a beautiful experience that I will never forget, thank you Yitor!
Carmen Mensink
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