Travelling to Make a Difference: WWU Student Completes Veterinary Internship in Thailand

Emily Gordon, a 21-year-old senior at Western, sat in the searing sun of Thailand last summer feeding a five-ton elephant a cucumber.  Just a month before, Gordon was in classes, hoping this opportunity would come to fruition. Then, halfway across the globe, with a gentle giant taking vegetables from her hand, Gordon realized that her dream had become a reality.

Gordon, an aspiring veterinarian and Cellular Biology major from Woodinville, travelled with Loop Abroad, a veterinary service program based out of Boston, which allows students to travel to Thailand with a staff veterinarian and shadow them while helping them with whatever they may need, and the highlight for Gordon was working at the Elephant Nature Park outside of Chiang Mai.

“Elephants are incredibly intelligent animals, capable of forming emotional bonds just like people,” Gordon said. “After hearing about the traumatic situations that many of these animals have come from, I was amazed and humbled at how forgiving and gentle they were. There is nothing quite like having a five ton giant lightly pluck a cucumber out of your hand.”

The park is home to over 40 rescue elephants suffering from chronic injuries; most had trouble doing even the simplest of tasks. These injuries mainly stemmed from the fact that elephants are used for logging in Thailand. The elephants carry the logs on their back day in and day out until they suffer an injury-often broken bones in their feet. Since the elephant is so heavy, the bone never properly heals.

During her time at the Elephant Nature Park Gordon had a myriad of responsibilities that ranged from cleaning wounds to monitoring how much the elephants ate and moved throughout the day. Not all tasks were enjoyable, as Gordon and her colleagues were also required to shovel manure on a daily basis.

Gordon also worked a week at The Animal Rescue Kingdom, a dog shelter where she worked with veterinarians and her colleagues with over 100 injured and abused dogs. “I was able to help out with four surgeries, two spays and two neuters where I primarily assisted the anesthesiologist,” Gordon said. She also was allowed by the surgeon to make an incision during one of these surgeries, an opportunity that many won’t have until they go to medical school.

When looking back on this trip Gordon is thankful for being able to do what she did while immersing herself in an entirely new culture. From exploring Downtown Chiang Mai to taking unique classes, the trip was much more than just work.

“You can get these experiences, with dogs and elephants, at a zoo in the United States,” Gordon said. “But being able to combine that with the integration into a completely new culture is what made the trip unforgettable.”

Gordon said that this trip, and especially her time with the elephants, has solidified her desire to become a veterinarian, but before she applies to veterinary schools she wants to take more time to continue shadowing veterinarians and pursue more internships.

She is currently applying for another trip with Loop Abroad that will allow her to travel to South Africa to work with cheetahs.