A mission to rescue elephants

Natalie Brown Lunch time at the Elephant Nature Park As our convoy of tourist buses climbs the winding road to Thailand's Elephant Nature Park, tourists clamber to press their camera lenses against the bus windows as they catch their first glimpse of the animals. Only as our bus slows, to allow a mahout to guide one of these enormous creatures along the road, does it become clear the man riding the elephant is holding in his hand a large stick with a sharp pointed spike.