Well I had never touched an elephant before. I guess there’s a first time for everything. I’ve seen African elephants in the wild, big bruising bulls and large herds with babies. It’s majestic when you watch them. But outside of a zoo, Asian elephants were new to me. After spending some good time with always-hungry Kamdi, insistent Kam-Noi, and laid back Samlan, I can confirm they’re beautiful, intelligent creatures. How cool is it that Earth has elephants?! They have trunks! And they’re huge! They really are gentle giants. I was pretty nervous to feed them the first time, but after some one-on-one time with Samlan and then Kamdi, I couldn’t get enough of them. After lunch and between activities I would hurry over to the elephant yard to spend time with them. I was amazed by our connection—I could feel their emotions, I could sense their mood and disposition. I know they could feel mine as well. In that sense, it was similar to the bond you develop with a dog—if your dog weighed 7000 pounds. It was utterly surreal, and I’ll always remember my day with the elephants.

During this whole experience today, something kept churning in the back of my mind. I even voiced it to Kamdi when were hanging out together. If we want to enjoy an incredibly diverse planet, with jungles and elephants, we need to halt and reverse climate change. The media already tells you how badly it will affect coastal regions and the world’s poorest humans. But it will impact these magnificent creatures, and so many others, just as much. Do you want your children to read about elephants and tigers and polar bears in books? Or do you want them to physically experience them with their own eyes? The choice is ours. Act now, or teach regret in our history books. We can do this. We can change the world. If not for ourselves, do it for those who will come after us. Do it for the elephants.