Spending time with elephants is on every traveller’s bucket list. Although, you have to be aware of certain things. In South East Asia, elephants are often considered as tourist attractions and money makers. Save elephants, don’t ride them ! Choose an Elephant Refuge Thailand instead.
After your gateway to the paradise island of Koh Tao, you must be on cloud nine. You want to tick everything Thailand’s related off your bucket list. And we know seeing elephants in Thailand is like getting tattooed by Apo Whang-Od, the oldest tattoo artist in the world, in the Philippines : it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. But be careful what you wish for when it comes to elephants. There are things you can and cannot do ! Before diving into the elephant in Thailand situation, here are some Thailand roadtrip ideas.
In this blog post, I’ll explain to you how they train elephants and why you should NEVER ride an elephant. Then, I’ll tell you where you can see elephants in Thailand without hurting them as well as which elephant sanctuary Thailand you can visit.
Elephant Abuse in Thailand
Elephants are not supposed to be ridden for several reasons. They’re wild animals, so, in order to be ridden, they need to be tamed. In other words, the people torture them until they listen. Young elephants are taken away from their moms, beaten and starved… They’re put in really small cages until they are unable to move and are destroyed to the point of losing all their identities and not contesting the authority.
The mistreatment doesn’t stop after the taming, because the fear of torture controls them. In addition to all this, their spines are not the same as horses or humans. Their bodies can’t stand more than 150 kg. Considering that the sitting equipment weighs itself 160 kg and they carry 3 to 6 tourists… I let you do the maths. They’re physically and mentally destroyed.
Are elephant sanctuaries in Thailand ethical ?
While trekking camps torture them, some nature parks opened to rescue them and raise awareness. So, are elephant sanctuary Thailand good or bad ? It depends. You really have to double check what they are doing exactly. Some parks advertise themselves as an elephant sanctuary Thailand while they’re actually not. How to catch the difference ? Elephants are wild animals, don’t go somewhere if you see them acting unnaturally in pictures, with chains, paints or people on them.
A real elephant sanctuary in Thailand is limiting contact between the elephant and the people. It is also rescuing elephants from mass tourism to give them a better – and FREE – life. Where to find an elephant sanctuary Thailand ethical ?
Elephant Sanctuary Thailand Chiang Mai
We carefully choose to go to Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary in northern Thailand. This is an ethical and sustainable eco-tourism Elephant Refuge Thailand project. They rescue old tortured elephants to offer them a peaceful life with enough food, space, medical assistance and most importantly, freedom.
At this elephant sanctuary northern Thailand, you’ll be able to do a lot of fun activities. For instance, you can feed elephants with fruits and some ball recipes the guide teaches you to make. You can also play in the mud next to them, go on walks and even get into the river to look at them washing themselves ! This was by far the most magical moment. The elephant sanctuary Thailand makes sure you never get too close to them or force them to do anything.
When you arrive at the Elephant Refuge Thailand, they give you a special shirt for elephants to recognize the smell. These animals are so friendly and chatty, don’t be afraid. The guide will also tell you a lot of precious information about the elephant’s lives, history, habits… Their goals are multiple and raising awareness is the most important one.
How to Volunteer ?
Retired working elephants are no longer able to live on their own in the wild as they’ve been broken when they were young. An elephant rescue Thailand employee is giving daily care and nourriture to the elephants. All the elephant sanctuary Thailand jobs need proper training to ensure he knows how to safely interact and act around the animals.
An elephant refuge thailand volunteer has to do its own research to make sure that they’re choosing an 100% ethical elephant refuge in Thailand. You should also check if you’re not taking the job of a local, and if your missions are really helping the center.
Chiang Mai Hotel
There’s no need for you to book a hotel right next to the elephant sanctuary in Thailand Chiang Mai you chose, because most of the centers send minivans downtown to pick up and drop off people.
We stayed at the Mandala House in Chiang Mai, one of the best value for money hotels I’ve ever been to ! For less than 10€, we had a small suite of two different room areas, a bathroom and even a kitchenette. It also includes breakfast and there’s a decent size swimming pool to chill after your daily adventures.
Now that you’re aware of the elephant situation in southeast Asia, be aware of everything that’s happening to make a responsible choice ! Here are other tips to help you plan your Thailand travel budget or your Koh Tao escape.
