Chris Jones recently completed a very unusual journey. Our reporter Mary Owen met him at
his home in the south of London and be told her all about the trip.
Reporter: What gave you the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant, Chris?
Chris: Well, it all started the idea two years ago when I was planning a trip to India. I visited a
photo exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only enjoyable way to make a trip around
India was on an elephant.
Reporter: What did you do next?
Chris: I flew to New Delhi and started looking for an elephant, I needed an elephant trained to
carry people. I didn't know anything about elephants, so I asked an expert  for help. He
taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant.
Reporter: How long did it take to find a suitable elephant?
Chris: Not too long. I bought a female elephant called Tara for about 6, 000 dollars.
Reporter: Can you tell me about the journey?
Chris: Tara and I set off from New Delhi a week later. We were going to Sonepur in northern
India. There is a big elephant market there and I could sell Tara easily. And what a ride! Elephants
can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur is more than 1, 200 km away. It took us 64 days to
complete the journey.
Reporter: Did you have any problems on your journey?
Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day, Tara hurt her foot. Btu that got better
quickly. Also, there was a lot of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet!
Reporter: What happened when you reached Sonepur?
Chris: My plan was to sell Tara. But I was very fond of her. I couldn't take her back to Britain
and I didn't want to sell her at the market. I happened to meet some people who wanted an
elephant for their national park in southern India. I knew that Tara would be safe with them, so I
gave her to them. I was very sad to say goodbye.
When Chris arrived at the market in Sonepur,   _  .
he realized that he did not really want to sell Tara he visited some shopkeepers he sold Tara to a national park he decided to take Tara home with him