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Only a few years ago, the African rhino, an occasionally overlooked member of the Big Five, was critically endangered, its long, sharp horns a coveted item on the world’s black market. Today, the population of the animal is on the rise in many private reserves, thanks to strict anti-poaching rules (enforced by rangers) and a procedure known as rhino darting, in which rhinos are sedated (via dart guns) and tagged for tracking purposes. Eco-minded safari-goers can experience the latter, an adrenalin-packed conservation program, firsthand at Phinda Private Game Reserve (pronounced pinda) in northern South Africa. For the past few years, the 57,000-acre reserve managed by the eco-conscious outfitter CC Africa, has been leading four-day “Rhino Capture & Research” safaris. For each one, guests accompany vets and rangers in the bush, in search of unidentified rhinos.

The process, occasionally dubbed “green hunting”, is not for the faint of heart. As the name implies, the first part involves shooting the animal (with a muscle relaxant) via a dart gun. Krista Krieger, a New Yorker who participated on one expedition, paints a vivid picture: “we set out in three different jeeps and drove through a herd of about 40 rhinos. The vet would shoot the darts from about 100 feet away. Once the animals went down, we’d run over and insert a GPS tracking device into the rhino’s neck.” From there, as the beast lies immobilized and blindfolded, the vet notches—a procedure that entails cutting a unique number of grooves into the rhino’s ears. Notching is what allows vets to track rhino populations and maintain what is referred to as the reserve’s “optimal number” (once this number is reached, some rhinos are helicoptered into other areas to prevent overgrazing). Reportedly, it’s comparable to the quick sting of getting one’s ear’s pierced.

Though many private game reserves in Africa now implement darting as a means to control local rhino populations, Phinda is the only one that runs darting trips for travelers. The four-day safaris are usually tacked onto longer stays at the property. According to Krieger, a veteran safari-goer who, prior to her darting adventure, had been to the Dark Continent four times: “I’ve seen the stunning plains of Botswana and East Africa. Phinda, though, is just as wild, vast and untouched.” Accommodations comprise six different lodges as well as a mobile camp for those interested in walking safaris. The largest and most indulgent is Getty House, a four-bedroom “villa” owned by Tara Getty (John Paul’s grandson) that comes with a private chef and butler as well as nanny quarters.

More squeamish travelers should note that while the darting isn’t exactly a gentle procedure, there is a happy ending—both in the long and short run. For another participant, the best part was the post-notching period: “the vet yelled ‘antidote’ [and an antidote was injected] and we all scattered. Within minutes, the rhino was up, looking unphased and joining the herd as if nothing had happened.”

Phinda rhino darting safaris from R 14 985 (about $319)/safari (excluding accommodations).

Read Friends in South Africa, a postcard on Krista Krieger’s trip.

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From Tiffany Schauer, July 3, 2008

Our crew drove back to Chiang Mai. The road trip back was filled with sights of interest and terrain varying from jungle dirt roads, long highways and finally city traffic. Driving is worth the trip—with a seasoned driver and good car company. I was blessed with both. After passing through Mae Sot, we stopped at a coffee shack by the side of the road and what seemed to be a hill tribe market. The coffee is grown in the mountains nearby and roasted on site. The coffee had the properties of high-mountain grown beans. I’m a coffee fiend and this and was some of the best I’ve tasted. Most of the coffee produced in this region is exported thus it is surprisingly difficult to score a cup regularly–well, basically impossible except for this random coffee stand. The hill tribe market women and children were selling fried bugs, fresh fruits and vegetables, regional delicacies and some hill tribe garb. These people are gorgeous looking to me. Their clothes evidence a splendor that stops me–humble and elegant, organic and regal.

After a quick sleep in Chiang Mai Rachamankha Hotel, I visited the Elephant Nature Park. To me, this was the equivalent of an Elephant Refugee camp with a road map for a hopeful future. The Elephant Nature Park is a sanctuary for Asian elephants located in the Mae Taeng Valley about one-and-a-half-hour drive from Chiang Mai. Established in 1995 by Sangduen “Lek” Chailert, this camp is a tribute to one individual’s quest to free an enslaved species from torture and inhumane conditions. Lek is the “elephant whisperer.” Lek was awarded the Time Magazine Asia Hero of the Year in 2005 for her work with elephants. She has also been the subject of National Geographic, Discovery Channel and BBC coverage.

There are only 4,000 Asian elephants left here. Elephants living at the sanctuary are named and their history of abuse is documented on paper as well as on their bodies. One elephant was blinded when stabbed in the eyes for collapsing after its newborn baby died during work hours. Another elephant was drug addicted after years of being force fed amphetamines to work longer hours. Moreover, all baby Asian elephants are ritualistic tortured by being put in a “stocks” like contraption for as long as week while being repeatedly kicked, stabbed with spears with nails sticking out and knives to break their spirit and force them to act on command. The villagers that own the elephants rely on these animals to work for their livelihood: once for logging, now for other labor, such as trekking and tourism. Please be aware that elephant shows, including elephant painting involve torturing the animal to act on cue. The agonizing “initiating” abuse of the elephants has long been a tradition in this culture—considered essential for human economic survival and seemingly some sort of rite of passage for the elephants. While these practices continue, Lek relentlessly bears compassionate witness to these historical cultural practices while steadily providing alternatives for the elephant owners. Her organization provides free vet care, medicine, and sometimes housing for all sick elephants in the area. She is also single handedly demonstrating to her culture that “free elephants” can also provide an economic solution for local people. Lek’s camp is an example of an economically sustainable eco-tourism concept while incorporating care, awareness, and preservation of this fast disappearing species.

With the above said, there is nothing to adequately describe a trip to this “park.” As a guest of the park, I was able to feed, walk, and bathe with the elephants. Getting close enough to a massive elephant to examine its eyelashes is an astounding experience. Perhaps even more astounding was the moment when I was lounging on the river bank beach during the elephant’s morning bath, and unscheduled fireworks from a nearby village funeral “spooked” the elephants, causing a potential elephant “stampede.” I enjoyed the adrenaline rush as I instantly understood the power and cannon-like force of these creatures—after the stampede was deterred by their trainers and my heart had stopped pounding.

The park not only offers guest day trips, but also overnight trips into the mountains to sleep in the jungle while the elephants roam, as well as short-term and long-term stays to volunteer to contribute to the operations of the park.

Most of the elephant trainers seem to be Burmese and the guides mostly Thai. Every single person I came across employed by or volunteering for this camp was hard-working, lively, happy for their job and IN LOVE with the elephants. It is, indeed, a “heavenly place.” Lek is a maverick and a role model. Her organization is exemplary and the face of the future if we are to preserve what is disappearing and choose to move our world forward. She needs more land and the camp needs support. If you love animals, go visit the park. I can’t imagine a more meaningful experience for a child–they may be the last generation to see these prehistoric creatures. And or donate to Lek’s park. Traveling out of the elephant park, I see the numerous elephant working camps, elephant trekking operations, wandering buffalo and graduated mountains covered with green. My perception of what I see now is altered having visited Lek’s camp and learning about the plight of the elephants and their owners. I am informed, aware and changed.

Read more dispatches from Tiffany about her Thai aid mission.