Elephant conservation volunteering in Thailand
Our Thailand volunteering Vacations
Marine conservation vacation in Thailand
Join an innovative marine conservation programme on Koh Tao
Family volunteering in Thailand
Family wildlife sanctuary volunteering in Thailand
Family elephant refuge volunteering in Thailand
Family elephant refuge volunteering in Thailand
Elephant conservation vacation, Thailand
Care for Asian elephants saved from a life of abuse
Thailand elephants and Karen hilltribe stay
Conservation project returning elephants to the forest.
Thailand marine conservation and diving vacation
Diving and marine conservation on a beautiful Thai island
Elephant refuge volunteering in Thailand
Volunteer with rescued elephants in an inspiring refuge
Volunteering Thailand, wildlife rescue center
Work with rescued tropical animals such as monkeys and bears
Wildlife rescue volunteering in Thailand, under 18s
Join an Under 18 Elephant Care & Wildlife Rescue group trip
Elephant conservation volunteering in Thailand
Elephant and Karen Hill tribe Community Volunteering
Photography volunteering in Thailand animal rescue center
Animal rescue on a tropical island in Thailand
Thailand wildlife sanctuary volunteering vacation
Volunteering break at a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand
Volunteer with rescue dogs and cats in Thailand
Animal rescue on a tropical island in Thailand
The ethics of elephant tourism
With logging now illegal – though it still goes on in many places and remains a major threat to wildlife habitats – many elephant mahouts, often trained since childhood and forming lifelong bonds with their charges, instead looked to tourism and entertainment for their earnings. An elephant can consume up to 130kg of food every day - they're not cheap to look after! Elephant and other wildlife shows are still very popular among visitors to Thailand, and they involve painfully forcing the elephants to learn unnatural behaviours and using chains to tie them up. This is not to say that the elephants had it any easier when they were used for logging, of course. They would be brutally ‘crushed’ in pens and tormented with poles tipped with spikes to break their will, worked hard and at constant risk of serious injury such as from falls or dropped logs. With illegal logging, there is also evidence that elephants are fed amphetamines to keep them working as much as possible.Riding elephants is another big no-no, as it causes them physical harm. Remember, elephants are never domesticated, they are captive wild animals, even those born in captivity. This means they must be broken in and controlled in order for them to work, be around humans and give rides, a horrific process that involves breaking their spirit.
Practicalities
If you’d like to contribute to their conservation, then you can volunteer at an elephant sanctuary, a safe haven for these beautiful animals once they have been rescued from captivity. These places help the elephants recover so that they can hopefully one day be released back into Thailand’s forests and jungles. In most cases however the animals remain there for the rest of their lives. Sanctuaries also provide employment for mahouts and encourage them to see the value in conserving elephants rather than exploiting them for tourism. Many of these sanctuaries are open to visitors, offering a much more ethical, wholesome tourism experience with no exploitative shows or experiences, just happy elephants exhibiting natural behaviours. The aim is to create as wild an environment as possible to encourage rehabilitation.In some cases the elephant sanctuary will be situated within the grounds of a wider wildlife refuge where there may be dozens of other species being cared for, including sun bears, monkeys and gibbons. The sanctuaries tend to be off the regular tourist trail, in quiet rural communities. One is located a few hours’ drive south of Bangkok, close to a national park and a typically sublime Thai beach.
Our top Thailand volunteering Vacation
Marine conservation vacation in Thailand
Join an innovative marine conservation programme on Koh Tao
Placement start dates depend on dive level and run throughout the year (except between mid-October to mid-December when the project is closed).”
Staying with hill tribes
Family volunteering with elephants
Does it even need saying that volunteering with elephants is absolutely magical for families? Bear in mind that some itineraries can involve quite physical, arduous work and due to the size of the elephants, the minimum age is 14 whereas trips volunteering with other wildlife usually require children to be at least 12 only. For families with teens, this is a deeply moving way to really get stuck into a vital conservation project.“Spending time with my family and working for these magnificent animals was such a rewarding experience. Hand feeding these gentle giants is something I will never forget. When you look into their eyes and connect with them, it's as if they can see who you are. You can tell these are intelligent and kind animals.” – Joe Stern on a family volunteering vacation in Thailand