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The Power of Touch

As a celebration of tourism month, the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency organized a 3-day blind friendly tour. Who assisted? Well… most of the delegates have been blind from birth and, prior to visiting Elephant Whispers, had no ‘picture’ in their minds of the sheer size, power, and distinctive physical characteristics of the majestic African Elephant.

The staff at Elephant Whispers need to be really creative with this visit, they brainstormed so many ideas on how to use senses, other than sight, to make blind visitors comfortable and help the two “visualize” how and elephant really is. They linked the visitors with blind elephants itself who can survive in the wild by making use of their other senses, and knew this was the key to creating their special elephant experience.

The visitors put all their trust in elephant handlers and the elephant, giving him their hands to take them on a complete ‘tactile tour’; from the elephant’s smooth tusks and the patterned ridges under their feet, to the wiry hair on their tails. They feel elephants throbbing pulse putting their fingers in the ears veins, felt their breaths against them and leant into their bodies to smell their distinctive elephant odor.

Through touch, guests recognized that elephants’ trunks are unbelievably strong, yet they can gently take an elephant cube from people’s fingers and caress their faces in a greeting. They used his bared hands to “paint” in their minds forever how a real elephant is. An incredible experience they will never forget.