Elephant Nature Park is an animal sanctuary located about an hour north of Chiang Mai. It is one of the only ethical animal parks in all of Thailand. This was my 2nd time visiting and I was more than excited this time around for many reasons. The first time I got to visit, I stayed 3 days because I only had 17 days in Thailand and needed to squeeze a lot in during that time. 3 days was not enough! To make matters worse, I began to experience symptoms from contracting a protozoa. I felt weak and feverish and could barely eat, but managed to power through and do the tasks we were assigned as volunteers. Illness aside, there were moments of relief from being under the spell of this beautiful place. No ill feeling could stop the magic of ENP. That’s just how wonderful it is. This time around we were healthy, had a full week booked, AND it was Christmas time!
The park (which is more like a giant ranch) is home to 109 elephants, nearly 700 dogs, 1500 cats, 400 rabbits, a couple hundred water buffalo, and a handful of horses, pigs, and cows. It is truly incredible. Lek Chailert started this entire project in the 1990’s and it has evolved and grown into a paradise and sanctuary for any living creature who enters. Lek is a small woman with a giant presence. Her story, as well as the story of every rescued animal calling this place home, is definitely one to read. You can learn more about Lek and her babies (all the animals) at elephantnaturepark.org. No visitor can deny the effects this place has on the soul. It changes you. My husband Bradley volunteered and worked here for about a year many years ago and fell in love. It molded him into a lot of the man he is today. He had to bring me here in 2019 and once we decided to move to Thailand, we had to visit again. It is a place both of us will always call home.
I adore elephants and always have, but like most folks I was almost completely unaware of the tragedies elephants face in the tourism industry, especially here in Asia. Each time you visit ENP, you watch a documentary that explains how to stay safe while at the park interacting with elephants and what these elephants have been through before they arrived at the sanctuary. It’s truly heart wrenching. I learned about the Phajaan or crush box. It is one of the most horrifying things I have seen and it is hard to imagine any person could come up with or utilize such a thing. It is both a contraption and a days-long process that holds every part of the elephant in tight ropes and is intended to break the will and spirit of the elephant. It is agonizing and causes wounds that are then covered in motor oil. The elephants are beaten with the mahout’s hook to learn to respond to commands, stabbed or burned when they refuse. I was shocked to learn that some elephants try to commit suicide by stepping on their own trunks to escape the wrath and pain of the Phajaan. 2 year old babies are ripped from their mothers and spirits are broken by constant abuse 24 hours a day for however long it takes the elephant to comply. They force the mothers and the babies to forget each other. They only know the hook and fear of pain. Here is a link to a recording of an elephant enduring the Phajaan. Viewer discretion is advised as it is very disturbing and graphic. Once they completely fear the hook and comply with the mahout, they are taught to dance, paint, or give rides 8-10 hours a day 7 days a week for tourists. For as strong and big as an elephant is, they cannot support a lot of weight on their spines. They aren’t meant for riding or carrying weight like other big animals and over time their spines become damaged and they have lots of medical problems. They are still forced to work through injuries and pain.
Even though logging was outlawed by 1989, it still goes on illegally and many elephants are put to work in the forests. If an elephant can no longer walk, stand, or work in any fashion then the elephant is usually moved to forced breeding. Female elephants are tied down by all fours and raped repeatedly. Female elephants are often severely injured by bull elephants and even killed during the rape. If the female survives and delivers a baby, it is ripped away from her as quickly as possible. And the cycle continues. It is completely unbelievable, but every single elephant working in the tourism industry or for human profit has endured the crushing torture of the Phajan. This is only a taste of what is done to these magnificent creatures. Even today, parts of elephants are still used in traditional medicines, for accessories and the like. This continues to prove that money corrupts all.
Most of the elephants that call this sanctuary home have lasting mental trauma, illness, and injuries. Some have to be kept on the other side of the river because they are far too dangerous to be with a herd and roaming the park. Some need medical treatment daily for their persistent injuries. And some have found it in their sweet hearts to forgive man and try to heal from their trauma and join their new herds and families. They have new mahouts that love and care for them and instead of a hook, they are guided by requests and treats like bananas. They have very little interaction from other humans with the exception of the park staff. Over time, ENP has evolved towards a more “touch free” facility. There used to be regular bathing and feedings from tons of tourists a day. This evolution is best for the elephants and more safe for the humans. Humans have done enough to them and the elephants deserve to be left alone. It can always be dangerous being too close to them when there is no consistent familiarity or strong relationships and accidents can happen.
When visiting the park there may be a chance you are invited to feed an elephant, safely and under supervision from park staff, even at this time. I was blessed with this opportunity on both of my visits. The encounters are short and sweet, and incredibly fulfilling. On this trip I got to feed RaYa, the new rescue, a few slices of pineapple. It was a fruit she never had before. She absolutely loved it and was greedy with her incredibly strong trunk. It quickly humbled me and reminded me that she could crush my hand with that trunk if she wanted. These gentle giants deserve respect for the strength they hold, in every sense of the word. It truly inspires me. Medo is one of my favorites for this reason. She’s a sweet old lady now and lives her life to the fullest at ENP. She’s been through everything an elephant can go through and still prevails. She’s even stronger now and nannies other elephants who come to the sanctuary to find healing and peace. She comforts them and cares for them. She’s a “She-ro.”
Dogs are rescued from the disgusting dog meat trades, abandonment, and abuse as well as the cats. Rabbits are rescued from labs and horrendous testing. Water buffalo are given refuge from slaughter houses and farmers who cannot support them. Every animal has a story here. And every animal is heard here. When you stay at ENP, everyone is vegan. And the food is seriously delicious. Everyone vibes love and compassion. It’s a wild and unique aura. You can see “VEGAN” tattooed on Lek’s husband Derek’s wrist while Lek wears a hoodie that says “Eat Fruit Not Friends.” The message here is clear. Every animal is safe here. A true sanctuary. There’s no place in the world like it.
They have started several projects and taken advantage of these last 2 years of lock down. They have built nicer accommodations, more large dog runs, a glorious botanical garden cat kingdom, a rabbit safe haven, a phenomenal skywalk, a safe bridge across the river for locals, and they have even begun assisting elephant riding camps in transitioning to ethical parks. There are so many incredible things in the works, I could go on. ENP is changing hearts and culture here in Thailand.
On this week-long adventure post-pandemic, we were challenged and blessed. We worked hard jobs each day. Pre-pandemic, the more challenging jobs would be rotated among the groups of volunteers, but for the week we were volunteering there were only 12 of us. It was hard for our volunteer coordinator, Jo, to arrange jobs for us but he did amazing keeping balance for the whole group. We got to experience a lot more time with the animals, like the dogs, cats, and rabbits. We were able to enjoy them and love on them and volunteer where we wanted during our free time. We got to watch elephants close up each day just being free and doing elephant things. It was obvious that they benefited from a 2 year lock-down in the sense of not being overcrowded by humans. They seemed a lot more comfortable…natural…wild. Even the water buffalo were more active in roaming the park rather than staying close to their night time area. The peace in the animals was tangible.
We were quite lucky with our volunteer group. You never know who you’ll be working with and spending most of your time with when you do these sorts of things. There were 3 other Americans, a Canadian expat from Bangkok, 3 Germans, 1 Japanese expat from Bangkok, and an Italian/Swiss couple. Some of the most generous and kind souls I have ever met. Out of 12 of us, only 2 were there for their first time and 2 others volunteered with the dogs and cats. We were the “die-hards” as fellow volunteer Devi put it. We were the ones who had been saving and waiting 2 years to come back “home.” And she was right. I will cherish these folks forever. And I look forward to when we will work together again at this magical place.
Christmas at ENP was one of the best Christmases I’ll probably ever have. We got to witness an elephant rescue. On Christmas Eve, RaYa came home and got to be an elephant for the first time in her life. She came from a riding camp where, if she was not working, she was on a chain. We watched her pull down tree branches and munch on leaves, drink from the river, and walk around periscoping with her trunk freely. It was an experience of a lifetime. On Christmas day the staff were decked like halls in green and red, lights were put up, and the tree glistened. It was so festive! Lek, the mother of ENP, cooked for us and bestowed gifts upon all of us (her family) while the mahouts played Christmas carols on their PVC pipe flutes and homemade drums. The whole day exemplified the true meaning of Christmas. I was moved to tears listening to the beautiful music and watching the joy amongst the people vibrate in the celebrations. A sweet dog asleep in my warm lap, I on the floor in the arms of my husband, and all around me was love. A pure Christmas.
The last day at ENP is always a hard one. Tears are shed. Hugs are endless. You never want to leave and you always start planning in your mind for the soonest you can return. You work one job in the morning after breakfast and then you have free time. After lunch, the van is ready to take you back to Chiang Mai. We decided to spend our morning volunteering with the dogs since they did not have volunteers that week. It was a great way to end our time there for this visit. During lunch everyone was quiet, talking softly if at all. Everyone takes in the beauty and the smells, and any last minute lovins from the dogs and cats. Information is exchanged. Safe travel wishes are shared and then it’s time to go.
Elephant Nature Park is one of the greatest places to visit in the whole world. While I haven’t traveled the whole world, I can confidently say this. Everyone who has been there will tell you the same. And if you go, you will find a way to visit again and again. I hope this inspires you to plan your trip! I hope it inspires you to rethink what kind of tour groups you sign up for when you travel. I hope it inspires more ethical tourism and I hope it inspires your heart.
Please leave your questions and feedback in the comments below. As always, for more photos and videos of Elephant Nature Park and our time traveling Southeast Asia, feel free to visit my Facebook Page.
