Elephant conservation in Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Southern Thailand |
| departures: | This project can be joined at any time, subject to availability. Minimum stay is 1 week (no maximum duration) |
| price: | From £320 (1 week) - £1140 (4 weeks) excluding flights, £250 per additional week. Price includes accommodation, all meals and project fees. We can offer advice on flights from the UK. |
read 10 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
About the Area
The project is situated at Thaithong Elephant camp in a very quiet area of Pattaya city. It is cut off from the roads and the elephants have a spacious area where they can eat, bath and relax. Currently there are about 15 domestic elephants living here together with their mahouts. The elephants here are treated like friends and have been trained well by their mahouts. The elephants go for short walks with tourists that visit the park, who in this way, can financially support the mahouts and the elephants. Through our partnership with the park, we are now able to offer the opportunity for longer term volunteering here. Pattaya itself is a modern city offering many attractions, activities and possibilities for shopping. The lovely beach of Jomtien is only 2 km away and can be easily reached.
About the Elephants
The forest in Thailand has decreased considerably due to deforestation and eucalyptus plantations. With less work in the forests, there is less logging work - the main occupation of domestic elephants for many years.
As food supplies in the forest also decline, the mahouts need to find another source of income in order to take care of their elephants. Some bring their elephants to big cities like Bangkok and try to make money from tourists. However, the Bangkok streets are treacherous for elephants because of the numerous cars, not to mention the fact that it is not always easy to find the 200 kg of food each animal needs per day. Elephants can also damage the roads and can be a danger to the local people. Some mahouts take very poor care of their animals and their elephants are kept in awful conditions. They are jabbed with knives and spears, overworked and overdosed on amphetamines to increase their stamina.
The Thai government attempted to solve the problem by banning all elephants from the city however this solution proved to be flawed as several animals died of starvation. Unlikely as it might seem tourism appears to be an answer in order to guarantee a good future for the domestic elephants in Thailand but it needs to be controlled well. At the moment, almost 70% of the baby elephants working in tourism are believed to have been poached from the wild. Poachers often kill the mother in order to get the calf. For the future, the situation is improving, as most national parks with wild elephants are well protected and many programs have been set up in order to ensure the survival of the wild elephant.
The Project
At the project there are about 15 domestic elephants who live together with their mahouts. You will become part of this community for at least a week. Together with the elephants and the mahouts, you will learn how to control the elephant and will clean and wash them during the day. There is lots to learn on this project both about the domestic elephants and about Thai culture. Educating the tourist who visit the project for elephant rides is also an important task so in the beginning, we will teach you a lot about the elephants to enable you to answer their questions. You will also be expected to support with activities such as cleaning and cooking.
You will normally volunteer from Monday to Saturday midday. We usually start at 6.30 in the morning followed by breakfast at 8. Some of the tasks you will perform include preparing food, bathing of the elephants, cleaning the area, guiding and supplying information to tourists… and of course, you will practice controlling the elephant. Work will finish around 3, although if you wish, you may wish to spend some time teaching English to the local people. Evenings and weekends are free.
Accommodation
Accommodation is very comfortable. You will stay in Green Jomtien studios, a fully furnished apartment 100 metres away from the project. Rooms have air-conditioning, hot water and TV. You will normally share the room with another volunteer. You will be served a variety of Thai local dishes 3 times a day. In the morning, bread and jam are also available. Sometimes you may be requested to support with the cooking. Cold water, tea and coffee are included with meals. Soft drinks and water can be purchased in a local shop at the project.
*Special Surin Elephant Festival trip* 11 Nov, £890 per person on twin sharing basis
This is definitely one for the elefans amongst you! A one-off itinerary which combines visiting the annual Elephant Festival in Surin with a week spent volunteering at our elephant mahout camp in Pattaya. Along the way, we'll also visit the sites of Bangkok and maybe even catch a glimpse of some wild elephants in the jungles of Khao Yai National Park.
The project is situated at Thaithong Elephant camp in a very quiet area of Pattaya city. It is cut off from the roads and the elephants have a spacious area where they can eat, bath and relax. Currently there are about 15 domestic elephants living here together with their mahouts. The elephants here are treated like friends and have been trained well by their mahouts. The elephants go for short walks with tourists that visit the park, who in this way, can financially support the mahouts and the elephants. Through our partnership with the park, we are now able to offer the opportunity for longer term volunteering here. Pattaya itself is a modern city offering many attractions, activities and possibilities for shopping. The lovely beach of Jomtien is only 2 km away and can be easily reached.
About the Elephants
The forest in Thailand has decreased considerably due to deforestation and eucalyptus plantations. With less work in the forests, there is less logging work - the main occupation of domestic elephants for many years.
As food supplies in the forest also decline, the mahouts need to find another source of income in order to take care of their elephants. Some bring their elephants to big cities like Bangkok and try to make money from tourists. However, the Bangkok streets are treacherous for elephants because of the numerous cars, not to mention the fact that it is not always easy to find the 200 kg of food each animal needs per day. Elephants can also damage the roads and can be a danger to the local people. Some mahouts take very poor care of their animals and their elephants are kept in awful conditions. They are jabbed with knives and spears, overworked and overdosed on amphetamines to increase their stamina.
The Thai government attempted to solve the problem by banning all elephants from the city however this solution proved to be flawed as several animals died of starvation. Unlikely as it might seem tourism appears to be an answer in order to guarantee a good future for the domestic elephants in Thailand but it needs to be controlled well. At the moment, almost 70% of the baby elephants working in tourism are believed to have been poached from the wild. Poachers often kill the mother in order to get the calf. For the future, the situation is improving, as most national parks with wild elephants are well protected and many programs have been set up in order to ensure the survival of the wild elephant.
The Project
At the project there are about 15 domestic elephants who live together with their mahouts. You will become part of this community for at least a week. Together with the elephants and the mahouts, you will learn how to control the elephant and will clean and wash them during the day. There is lots to learn on this project both about the domestic elephants and about Thai culture. Educating the tourist who visit the project for elephant rides is also an important task so in the beginning, we will teach you a lot about the elephants to enable you to answer their questions. You will also be expected to support with activities such as cleaning and cooking.
You will normally volunteer from Monday to Saturday midday. We usually start at 6.30 in the morning followed by breakfast at 8. Some of the tasks you will perform include preparing food, bathing of the elephants, cleaning the area, guiding and supplying information to tourists… and of course, you will practice controlling the elephant. Work will finish around 3, although if you wish, you may wish to spend some time teaching English to the local people. Evenings and weekends are free.
Accommodation
Accommodation is very comfortable. You will stay in Green Jomtien studios, a fully furnished apartment 100 metres away from the project. Rooms have air-conditioning, hot water and TV. You will normally share the room with another volunteer. You will be served a variety of Thai local dishes 3 times a day. In the morning, bread and jam are also available. Sometimes you may be requested to support with the cooking. Cold water, tea and coffee are included with meals. Soft drinks and water can be purchased in a local shop at the project.
*Special Surin Elephant Festival trip* 11 Nov, £890 per person on twin sharing basis
This is definitely one for the elefans amongst you! A one-off itinerary which combines visiting the annual Elephant Festival in Surin with a week spent volunteering at our elephant mahout camp in Pattaya. Along the way, we'll also visit the sites of Bangkok and maybe even catch a glimpse of some wild elephants in the jungles of Khao Yai National Park.
travellers' tales
The highest of the high points was riding into the lake on my elephant and helping to wash her - and then riding her back to camp. The whole experience was very hands on and I felt very safe in the care and under the watchful eyes of my Mahout and the team. (more)
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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We try to ensure that all our trips not only minimise the negative effects of tourism but actually have a positive impact on the communities who welcome us into their villages and often their homes. Using local guides, local transport and local accommodation and paying fair wages, ensures that not only do our clients gain a unique insight into the culture they are visiting but also that as much of their money as possible stays in the local community. Running this trip as a small group and using local guides who help our clients to understand and respect the cultural differences means that you will often be treated as welcomed guests rather than intruding foreigners. We travel at a leisurely pace to allow you the time to fully appreciate the charm of this fascinating country.
The 1-4 week project offers a great opportunity to get a basic understanding of the Thai domestic elephant and their relation with their mahout. You will not only learn how to ride your elephant but also how to care for the elephant. You can learn about the traditional life of the mahouts, you will become very close with their community and join in various communal activities. At the end of this project, you will receive a document which proves your skills as elephant. The elephant mahout project at Thaithong Elephant Camp has been developed in order to help the old elephants and the mahouts who live in the park. By creating jobs and financial support, our aim is that they can stay together at the camp forever and have a fairly easy and pleasant future. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |