How To Find An Ethical Elephant Sanctuary In Thailand In 2024 (And What To Avoid)

It seems in recent years that seeing an elephant in Thailand is a must-do on traveler’s lists; it’s equivalent to seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, eating hand-made pasta in Italy, or visiting the the Statue of Liberty in New York. But with 11.5 million tourists flocking to tourist in 2022 alone, how can elephant viewing be done ethically?

The truth is that it’s an incredibly challenging task. If you’re vegan like me, you’re probably of the mindset that it’s unethical to domesticate animals for human entertainment or work. But you’re going to see elephants used for those exact purposes throughout Thailand, wether you’re trying to or not. And what you choose to do with your tourism dollars can either hurt them by contributing to industries who don’t have their well-being in mind, or help them by investing in a humane future for these incredible giants.

What To Know About Unethical Elephant “Sanctuaries” In Thailand

Let’s begin with some things to avoid in Thailand and beyond. If you care about elephants and their well-being, be sure to boycott circuses, elephant shows, elephant treks, and zoos. To be able to perform tricks or be ridden, like horses, elephants must be “broken”. There are many unethical elephant “sanctuaries” in Thailand that will pose as caregivers for elephants, when in reality they participate in these cruel practices.

‘Crushing’ The Wild Nature Of Elephants

It’s important to note that it is almost impossible to tame post-pubesnt elephants, and so when young elephants are taken from the wild, humans will often slaughter their whole heard in order to prevent elder members of the family from protecting their youth. Once in the hands of humans, these calves are forced to endure phajaan, or “crush”; a torturous process that’s goal is to squash the elephant’s wild spirit and nature. During this process elephants are bound in painfully small spaces for days and tortured until they are too tired to rebel, and exhaustedly fall into submission.

But not all elephants are snatched from the wild. Many are born in captivity, where they will never get to experience true freedom, fulfill natural tendencies, or live fully, healthy lives. This process of “breaking” must be done in order for elephants to perform tricks, participate in manual labor, star in circus shows, or give rides to humans.

The Cons Of Elephant Rides In Thailand

Aside from the mental/emotional toll that “breaking” an elephant takes on them, giving rides to humans is incredibly physically taxing for elephants. The continuous pressure on their bodies can deteriorate the tissue and bones in their back, causing irreversible damage to their spines. And when elephants don’t behave while preforming or giving rides, they are often beaten, tortured, or stabbed with hooks.

Finding An Ethical Elephant Sanctuary In Thailand

Finding a place that is a true sanctuary for animals can be tough. While in Thailand, I saw countless places calling themselves “elephant sanctuaries” even though they allowed tourists to ride elephants. There have also been reported cases of elephants at these sanctuaries being chained for long hours, forced to sleep on concrete, and malnourished.

So what can you do? First of all, it’s important to pay attention the mindset of any sanctuary while considering which one to support. Choose sanctuaries that hold and align with the following values:

• Animals hold personhood, and therefore should be seen/treated as sentient individuals with unique needs.
• Having more animals in captivity is not the goal, protecting the ones who have already been forcibly domesticated is.
• Sanctuaries are places that protect animals. Therefore, the dead bodies of animals should not be served as food at their establishments. Any food on site should be 100% plant-based.
• Animals should not be forced into human contact and should have a space that is as close as possible to their natural environments.

A sanctuary is a place where animals can heal, calm their nervous systems, and replenish their wildness as much as possible.

Why I Chose To Visit Elephant Nature Park, An Ethical Elephant Sanctuary In Chiang Mai

While exploring Thailand for a month I was determined to visit an ethical elephant sanctuary. After showering the internet, I landed on Elephant Nature Park. Located in Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand), this place is the best of the best when it comes to animal sanctuaries. There, they offer single-day visits, overnight visits, and volunteer opportunities that are a week long. You learn learn more and book your visit to the park here.

What To Expect When you Volunteer

I volunteered at this dream-of-a-place for a week and would highly recommend it for anyone who cares about elephants, nature, and creating a more compassionate and sustainable future for the beyond human world. It was a truly life-changing experience that you join in on through this podcast episode that I recoded with my friend Anne, who also volunteered with at the park with me.

In this episode we recount our week that was filled with scooping the largest poop that I’ve ever seen, creating a run-club with our new backpacker friends and local ENP guides, how we survived despite the scorching heat, and what it was like to watch humans and elephants interacting in such trusting and magnificent ways.

(As of 2018 visitors are no longer able to bathe elephants at the park in order to create a more natural setting for the elephants. You can learn more about their no-bathing policy on their website.)

The History Of Elephant Nature Park

Elephant Nature park was founded by Lek Saengduean Chailert who was born in Thailand in 1961. At a young age formed a close bond with elephants, in the 1990’s she started rescuing neglected, injured, and elderly elephants. In 2003 she went on to establish a permanent home for them, which has transformed into the sanctuary that exists today, where over 100 elephants are able to live free from abuse.

Elephant Nature Park’s Mission

In addition to elephants, the park is a safe haven to hundreds of other rescued animals such as dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, birds, buffalo, and more. The sanctuary takes a hands-off approach when it comes to animal show are being rehabilitated or simply need/prefer space, and allow visitors to ethically interact with the others who welcome human contact.

Elephant Nature Park’s Vegan & Animal Rights Activism

In addition to providing a safe space for these animals to exist, Elephant Nature Park is a vegan space which only serves plant-based food. They respect the autonomy of nonhuman animals and do not serve their bodies or secretions in their establishment.

While at Elephant Nature Park, we learned that due to clearing land to make space to farm animals (or grow food for farmed animals) the elephant’s natural habitat is destroyed, which pushes elephants into closer contact with humans, making their capture/domestication even easier. This is a message that they share with visitors as you learn more about the animal rights activism that they do and taste their outstanding plant-based meals for yourself.

In addition to the work that they do on site, they’ve been helping other elephant establishments head in the right direction through their “Saddle Off” program and are working hard to change the the culture when it comes to Elephants in Thailand.

Creating An Ethical And Sustainable Future For Elephants In Thailand

Hopefully by this point you’re convinced that visiting Elephant Nature Park is a must for your Thailand bucket list. If you’re not able to make it to Chiang Mai, the park offers a list of recommended sanctuaries to visit through the rest of the country.

If Thailand isn’t part of your future travel plans but you still want to support the incredible work that Lek and her staff is doing, you can make a donation here. And lastly, if you truly want to see a world where animals are protected and respected, adopting a plant-based diet and a vegan lifestyle is the most powerful thing that you can do. In the Unruly Eating & Veganism section of the blog I have countless free resources that can get you started on your vegan journey, whether you’re an avid traveler or not. Here you can learn more about how to go vegan, why you should, and how by choosing plant-based foods you can protect animals across the world, all from the comfort of your own home.