Most dogs bark when they see an elephant. But a young canine in Chiang Mai has become one pachyderm’s second mahout.
Heg Cup, a 3-year-old black mutt, was raised alongside Valentine, a 9-year-old bull at the Tiem Jan Elephant Camp in Mae Rim District and has no fear of the jumbo. In fact, he often rides Valentine just like its human mahout, Mongkol Kananok.
Mongkol, 26, said dog and elephant are best friends and go everywhere together. When he takes tourists on rides, Heg Cup goes along. A dog riding a jumbo always amazes tourists, he said.
The camp reopened this month after months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, so both Valentine, born on Feb. 14, and Heg Cup will be waiting to greet visitors.