The Elefantes in the Room

When we first moved to Singapore we had to start from the beginning when it came to putting together a house. (See Ode to temporary housing & Your life in a box.) We wanted our Singapore home  to contain a few items that we shipped over from the U.S. but to also find items during our travel to reflect the adventures we've experienced while living abroad.

One of the items we happened upon during our first month here was the Elephant Parade elephants. These painted elephants are perfect additions to our home although they are more than that as they support a good cause. The sales of the Elephant Parade elephants benefit The Asian Elephants Foundation (TAEF). The mission of the TAEF is to distribute funds to various projects that are dedicated to the conservation of the Asian Elephant. 

Our newest additions

About three months later Raegen happened upon a documentary called “Eyes of Thailand” while planning our anniversary trip to Thailand. (See Don't worry...go Krabi.) The documentary chronicled the story of a Friends of the Asian Elephant in Lampang Thailand, which operates the world’s first hospital for elephants. The documentary highlighted Mosha, the inspiration of Elephant Parade.  At the age of 7 months, Mosha lost her leg from a landmine explosion on the Myanmar-Thai border and was the first elephant to be fitted with a prosthetic leg. The hospital has treated over 3,900 cases of sick and injured elephants since 1993. It was an eye opening story that not only raised awareness of the mistreatment of elephants (they’re used in the logging industry) but emphasized the dangers and real threat posed throughout the region and the world by landmines. Friends of the Asian Elephant is one of eleven projects in eight elephant range countries that The Elephant Parade/TAEF supports by providing financial, material and technical assistance.

These cheerful additions to our home a great reminder of our adventures in Singapore and while our purchase from the Elephant Parade won’t save the world, it’s a step in the right direction. 

Happy Trails,

Amy & Raegen

PS- It was wonderful to hear from so many of you while we were in the States about how you enjoy the blog. If there’s something you want to hear about, send us a note! We’re always looking for topics you might find interesting.