Pachyderm Paradise
Posted Sunday, August 19, 2007, 5:53 PM by Lonely Planet
At the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, orphaned, injured and neglected elephants find a rehabilitative home. The founder of the park, Sangduen (Lek) Chailert, along with a band of employees and volunteers nurse elephants back to full strength and provide a sanctuary for their future welfare.
Brienne Walsh recently spent two weeks volunteering at the Park and said of her experience:
"It's truly the most special and moving place that I've ever been. It has a spiritual quality which I think is rare and unique.
It's an amazing volunteer experience, because each person is able to care for the elephant in a way that isn't possible in zoos or amusement parks. They are invited to bathe and feed the elephants individually. One group, before I came, invented a bed for an elephant who had a damaged hip, and could not lie down. It was truly wonderful to see the way that the elephant slept comfortably after they designed a proper place for her to sleep.
The elephants live in a free-range environment, and natural social behavior is encouraged. All proceeds from tourism are invested back into the park to enable the staff to care for the elephants. The volunteer program, which requires a one-week minimum stay, keeps the camp running, but it is also possible to do overnight stays and day trips to the Park.
The tourism market in Thailand, can foster violent and severe handling of elephants - only a very small percentage of elephants live free of chains and brutal treatment that often leaves the elephants lame and blind. The Elephant Nature Foundation is one of the only places in Thailand where these gentle, intelligent creatures can roam free and live in their natural habitat."
Brienne Walsh and photographer Gregory Colbert exhibit more images from the Elephant Nature Park on their website.
To volunteer at the park or for more information visit the Elephant Nature Park website.
Share your volunteering experience by commenting on our blog.
Labels: Asia and Pacific, Elephants, Sustainable and responsible tourism, Thailand, Volunteer
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3 Comments:
Aaaw such cuties. That sounds like an amazing experience.
Such heartening news! Most of those babies are orphaned by poachers who find helpless, young
elephants easier to handle.
Hope this program also improves awareness about the effects of deforestation.The pics on
Elephant Nature Park website are definitely 'poster-worthy'.
Mala Mukunda
Live The Dream...Tell The Tale http://www.traveling-stories-magazine.com/
I am considering volunteering at this place in May as have come from volunteer programs in South America and get a lot of benefit from doing the work...but can you tell me before I go...are there many other voulnteers there? as I am travelling alone.
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