Thailand’s Gentle Giants: Our Week Volunteering at an Elephant Sanctuary

“Ok guys, today is shit day!” exclaimed Wan, one of the five Thai guides put in charge of managing our volunteer group. There were about 70 total of us there to work for a week at the Elephant Nature Park located in Chiang Mai, Thailand, about one hour north of the city center. On the first day of our stay, we were split up into four groups, each tasked with daily morning and afternoon jobs. These jobs consisted of cleaning and prepping elephant food, cutting and bundling stalks of corn, picking up leftover and discarded food, cleaning out the elephant shelters, and, of course, shoveling the elephant poop. We were a part of the lucky group who got assigned the “shit” job twice during the week.

One of the herds

Poop-scoopers at the ready

When we began plotting our trip over a year ago, we decided early on that we wanted to participate in multiple volunteer opportunities.  We could no longer use the excuse of not having enough time, and both of us felt passionate about giving back in various capacities.  Christina’s good friend, Lauren, had visited the Elephant Nature Park a few years ago and talked about what an amazing place it was.  After doing some research, we decided to sign up for a week of volunteering because why not spend a week working with some elephants up close and personal?? It was a unique opportunity that we could not turn down.

Bath time!

New friends

Once we got there, we fell into a routine. Each day, we would wake up at about 6:30 AM, or in reality, be woken up by the trumpeting of the elephants/barking of the dogs/crowing of the roosters. Breakfast was served at 7 AM and our first job of the day started at 8 AM. We would work for a few hours until we finished the task at hand, then have some down time before lunch was served at 11:30 AM. We were back at work by 1 PM for our afternoon jobs. At 3:30 PM, we got an opportunity to bathe the elephants in the river. That was followed by more downtime with dinner served at 6 PM sharp. By the end of the day, we were exhausted and would fall asleep early every night.

One of the elephants with her mahout

Meal prep

Produce for days

Some of the work was pretty demanding, especially in the unbearable Thai heat and afternoon sun. Our accommodations were VERY rustic and consisted of a room with a bed, a mosquito net and a single light. The walls were open so we had plenty of creatures in and out of our room constantly. The bathrooms were less than sanitary (shower shoes were MANDATORY).  There was dirt and dust everywhere since it was dry season, not to mention little presents from the elephants, dogs, cows, water buffalo, cats, goats or horses all over the grounds. But once we learned more about the history of the park and its founder, Lek Chailert, we quickly realized that a little bit of our discomfort was nothing compared to the mission of the program.

Sitting with Lek and bonding with this gentle giant

Loved spending time with these incredible creatures

The history of the elephants in Thailand was eye-opening for us. In 1900, there were roughly 100,000 elephants that existed in the wild or domestically. Today, that number stands around 6,000 total (a decrease in numbers of more than 90%) despite the fact that elephants are a symbol of national pride and their image can be found everywhere in Thailand (statues, clothing, beer). The Elephant Nature Park was founded in 1996. It began with just a handful of elephants, but today is home to 69 elephants as well as almost 500 dogs and many other rescued animals. The elephants come from different backgrounds but many were used in the illegal logging industry, for street begging in cities, or to trek people around. Despite different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common: they endured brutal training methods when they were young and have been severely mistreated for most of their lives.

Our guides for the week

Peek-a-Boo

Now that they have been rescued by the Elephant Nature Park, they no longer have to worry about physical abuse or a lack of food. Each elephant is paired up with a mahout (elephant trainer) who is by their side all day long, providing food and ensuring that they stay safe. The elephants are fed roughly 10% of their body weight (about 400 lbs) in fruits and vegetables each day, so there are plenty of opportunities for visitors and volunteers to feed them.  They are bathed each day and are provided plenty of shady places to escape the hot sun.  There are onsite veterinarians who provide care whenever it is required. It really is a sanctuary for these gentle giants. As volunteers, we had the chance to get up close to the elephants which was a bit intimidating and surreal.

The reason behind all the shit we had to shovel

“Ok, here’s your machete. Now get to work cutting that corn!”

Despite receiving absolutely no help from the Thai government, Lek has been extremely successful and has been able to expand the park rapidly over the past 20 years. The volunteer program is constantly sold out and there are vans full of tourists from Chiang Mai who come visit the park each day.  All of the money earned is being used to sustain the park as it works toward the ultimate goal of creating a wild elephant sanctuary where the animals can live independently, as they used to. It is a phenomenal operation that creates so much good for the animals as well as provides hundreds of jobs for the local villagers. We would HIGHLY encourage anyone in Thailand to make the trip there and experience firsthand this incredible place.

Our first ever elephant selfie

Our last night at the park, we got the chance to hear Lek speak about the program she has built. It was so inspiring to hear the passion in her voice and her compassion for these animals was really contagious.  This was an experience we will not soon forget!

-The Morts