Thailand - Elephant Care & Wildlife Rescue

Volunteer role at the project:

Elephant Care
Volunteers work alongside local staff to care for around 15-20 rescued Asian elephants. Each day will differ but elephant care volunteer tasks may include:

• Feeding and giving water to the elephants
• Help with the cleaning of the enclosures
• Hosing down and cleaning the elephants
• Harvesting and collecting food from local farms - pineapples, bananas etc.
• Creating enrichments for the elephants

You may also be involved in other activities around the centre such as maintenance of enclosures.

Wildlife Rescue
Each day will differ but general wildlife rescue volunteer tasks may include:

• Feeding the animals
• Providing water for the animals
• Assisting with cleaning the enclosures
• Creating enrichments for the animals

The Elephant Care and Wildlife Rescue projects can be combined.

How the project is making a difference:

The centre that we work with in Thailand operates as a sanctuary for abused, neglected or injured animals.

The centre also gives refuge to domesticated elephants that have been used in industry and many of the elephants arrive with severe health problems and bear the scars of previous abuse. The centres aim is to provide a refuge that is as close to nature as possible.

Educational tours are often organised for young school children at the centre as the project believe that the education of the next generation is critical to conservation in Thailand. The management team actively campaign for better animal treatment in Thailand including issues such as the illegal pet trade, poaching and the use of animals within the tourist industry.

Why volunteers are needed:

Whilst each elephant is cared for by a dedicated mahout and the centre employs full time local staff for the other animals, they are in need of assistance with their tasks. The local staff are often over-stretched with daily care tasks and so the extra man-power from volunteers allow them to focus on long term plans. Additionally volunteers can offer contribute creatively and help to design enrichments for the elephants.