What They Don’t Tell You About Elephant Sanctuaries in Thailand

Last updated 17th of February, 2019.

A 40 year old female Sri Lankan elephant eats grass with a 2 year old Indian elephant. There are 4 recognized subspecies of Asian elephants; Indian (from the mainland), Sri Lankan, and two Indonesian (from the islands of Sumatra and Borneo). Asian Elephants cannot mate with African elephants as they are of a different genera. Photo Credit: Aydin Adnan

Can you recall the very first time you saw an elephant? For most people this initial interaction is at a zoo, or a safari park in which the elephant is far removed from its natural habitat and confined in a small area. As children, we don’t know any better so we marvel at the massive size and beauty of the world’s largest land mammal. What we don’t see is the price the elephant had to pay, the torture endured, and the crippling feeling of depression it suffers for us to be able enjoy our time at the zoo or safari. If you aren’t already aware of the abuse elephants have to endure to be tamed, then head over to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand’s website for a great factoid sheet.

Before I go further into telling you why you shouldn’t go to a sanctuary, I feel it is important for you to know who I am, and why I’m acting as an authority on the matter. I’m a 30 year old expatriate from a small suburb of Washington, DC. Like most expatriates, I grew tired of the “career grind” and the false dreams sold to us as children. I left in search of something more meaningful. I didn’t know where I would end up (and I still don’t) but I knew one thing: I wanted to go to Thailand and work with elephants. I had been dreaming of doing any type of conservation work for elephants since I was…