A city is the last place where you would expect to find an elephant. Their existence is heartbreaking. Without the forest, and sufficient food, Thai elephants won’t have a chance of survival. 'Bring the Elephant Home' is dedicated to create a better future for all Thai elephants. We hope to achieve this by stimulating animal friendly eco-tourism, creating habitat for elephants, growing food for elephants, creating alternatives for elephant families and by finding solutions to solve human-elephant conflicts. With our project Trees for Elephants we have already planted about 250,000 trees for wild and domesticated elephants. To be able to extend the Elephant Nature Park, we’ll organize Bike for Elephants on January 14 and 15 2012. Read more... >>>
Donation from International School of Macao
antoinette - 1 May 2012 07:59
From 13 till 15 March 2012 60 students of grade 8 of the International School of Macao volunteered at the Elephant Jungle. They helped us with the cutting of a fire brake, they planted trees, worked in the tree nursery and joined a mini workshop about seed germination. In three days they did an amazing amount of work, and they left with a mission: the students wanted to raise money to help the family that is living on the land.
Two weeks later they reached their target, and from Macao we received 26,000 baht. We immediately went to a motorbike shop for the most important present. Finally P’Dang has his own motorbike! The rest of the donation has been used for a helmet, gasoline, TV, DVD, audio set, fan, school set, food and cooking stuff. The smile on P’Dang face said enough. Thank you so much, students of International School of Macao! You made a big difference for this family.
Vacancy coordinator Thailand
antoinette - 11 April 2012 07:52
Coordinator Thailand
Bring the Elephant Home
Organization: Foundation Bring the Elephant Home
Date vacancy: 01/07/2012
Position: Full time
Since the founding director is leaving Thailand soon, we are looking for a dynamic and dedicated coordinator in Thailand. Do you have a talent for creating positive change? If so, you might be the person we are looking for to join us as the new coordinator of Bring the Elephant Home in Thailand.
Your role
As well as understanding the challenges Thai elephants and their forests are facing, you have to be able to focus on results and know how to make things happen. (more…)
The perils of speaking about Thai elephant exploitation
antoinette - 28 March 2012 08:30
March 13, 2012. Recent raids on two wildlife charities in Thailand have caused outrage in wildlife protection circles. These incidents have been interpreted as an attempt to intimidate and silence wildlife conservationists speaking out about illegal elephant trading within the country. Suspicions as to the complicity of Thai authorities in the trade of elephants are well-founded, and are likely to be behind efforts to muzzle campaigners, writes Susannah Waters in The Scavenger.
Elephant riding has long been championed by tourist operators within Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand promotes it with a dizzying excitement: it claims elephant riding is an “integral part of all tourists’ visits”, that “there are few experiences in Thailand more iconic”, and that “riding atop one of these intelligent yet gigantic creatures is often the highlight of one’s trip to Thailand”.
The activity is presented as an exhilarating, not-to-be-missed experience of a lifetime.
Not surprisingly, absent from the over-hyped descriptions of promised tourist thrills is the reality of abuse, over-work and exploitation of tourist elephants. Missing from the glossy tour leaflets is mention of the phajaan training ceremony, the brutal sustained abuse young elephants are forced to endure in preparation for a lifetime of carrying tourists, performing in animal shows, and even painting pictures for tourist amusement. (more…)
Time for change
antoinette - 26 February 2012 07:19
Dear friends and donors,
It has been nearly ten years since I first volunteered at the Elephant Nature Park. Back then it didn’t own any land, had no volunteer program, no structural income, and was facing many problems in Thailand. Today, the Elephant Nature Park is one of the most successful elephant projects in Asia. It has proven that elephant-friendly tourism is possible.
Many of my goals have been achieved. Elephants have disappeared from the major cities, the Elephant Nature Park has become financially independent, the Dutch tourism branch is now in favour of elephant-friendly holidays, close to 300,000 trees have been planted, and the network of elephant protectors has grown. Of course, there are still elephants in need, lots of trees to be planted, and new campaigns to be planned. But for me, it is time to leave Thailand. A difficult decision, and an emotional one. (more…)
Volunteers for fire brake cutting, check dam and artificial salt lick making
Dutsadee - 9 February 2012 07:40
Kanchanaburi, February 2, 2012
Please join our next activities inside Salakpra wildlife sanctuary! Our ambition are to make the fire brakearound the planting site to protect our trees from the forest fire before this comming dry season, check dam making to preserve the water for the wildlife and the artificial sale lick making to add more mineral into the soil for the wildlife. So we need many volunteers to help us. This project helps to improve the habitat of wild elephants and to solve human elephant conflicts around the sanctuary.
Program: Friday 2/2/2012
9.30 A.M: Arrival of all volunteers. Welcome by chief of rangers and BTEH.
(Note: all volunteers are requested to get to Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary by themselves).
9.45 A.M: Volunteers get to the planting plots inside the jungle by trucks or walking.
10.00 A.M: Start fire brake cutting around the planting site with water / fruit break.
12.00 A.M: Packed lunch in the jungle
1.00 P.M: Check dam and artificial salt lick making
3.30 P.M: Finish all activities. Collect all garbage / plastic bags.
3.45 P.M: Drive out of Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary.
Good to bring:
- Sun block
- Cap or hat
- Comfortable closed shoes that can get dirty
- Gloves
- Water bottle
- Insect repellent
- Long sleeved shirt & trousers
- Dry cloths
Bike for Elephants
antoinette - 25 January 2012 09:50
This year Bike for Elephants started in a very different way than the previous years. Before departure, this time we didn’t pass bottles of sun crème around, but raincoats instead. A smaller number of participants as well, nineteen cyclists and ten supporters. Despite the dark clouds, everyone was excited to get started. But at the first off road part, we got stuck completely. The clay was so sticky and strong, that it was not even possible to push the bikes forward. Brakes, gears and wheels were completely covered in clay. The only solution: clean and repair bikes, take them on the shoulder and walk to the nearest paved road. A la minute we changed the route, and adapted the event to the new circumstances. On the way we had to stop many times to fix flat tires and make minor repairs of broken bikes. Halfway we ordered three new mountain bikes, to replace the worst ones. But with all these challenges Bike for Elephants only became more fun. Click ‘more’ for the picture report of the weekend. (more…)
Park Plaza hotel sponsors Bike for Elephants
antoinette - 30 November 2011 06:21
The Park Plaza Sukhumvit Hotel in Bangkok will support Thai elephants again. This time by helping us promoting our charity ride Bike for Elephants, and by donating the first prize award for the best fundraiser of the event! So if you are joining Bike for Elephants, and starting your fundraising: you have a chance to stay for free in this first class boutique hotel in the center of Bangkok! Thanks a lot for your support, Park Plaza!
Trees for Elephants in Cambodia
antoinette - 20 November 2011 15:40
Last month Bring the Elephant Home has been working in Cambodia to restore the forest of Phanon Kulen National Park. In the future part of the forest will serve as a wildlife sanctuary for animals in need. We helped to create a more natural habitat at the location that has been designed as future elephant land. We hope that soon some Cambodian elephants can retire from work and will be able to live here in freedom.
But before elephants could be brought to the forest, we need to create more biodiversity, attract more wildlife and grow elephant food on the land. With the support of the local tree nursery of FORRU, we could get over 3,000 very healthy seedlings of 8 native species. Off we went to Cambodia, to find volunteers and get these 3,000 trees planted as quickly as possible.
Family life and the training of Chang Yim
antoinette - 5 November 2011 08:17
Video introduction of target training and the response of Chang Yim.
Every day Chang Yim receives a positive reinforcement training by Karl Cullen, in a playful and animal friendly way. Chang Yim reacts well to this. He is very enthusiastic, and his behavior has improved immensely. He is still a young, wild bull, but we can trust him a lot more. Karl learned to give the target training method by Carol Buckley, founder of Elephant Aid International. Together they started to train Chang Yim, and after seeing the results, more elephants of the park can benefit from this training method now.
The family of Chang Yim is still thriving. There is always something going on in this social group with Chang Yim and Faa Mai growing up, and Faa Sai being mischievous. These past months, the family was often followed by Hope, the young bull. Hope was infatuated by the imposing Sri Nuan, who could appreciate his attention. He even managed to mate with her a few times, while Thong Jan and Faa Sai kept the other jealous elephants at a distance.
Click to see more about Chang Yim and family photos.
(more…)
Report of trees planting for wild elephants July - August 2011
Dutsadee - 3 October 2011 08:54
An update of the activities of our project Trees for Wild Elephants during July - August 2011. We got over a hundred of volunteers of various organizations from Bangkok to help us to finish the tree planting for wild elephants at Salakpra wildlife sanctuary, Kanchanaburi for 2011(4th year). Finally, we reached our goal for this year, of 14,000 extra trees for elephants
Apart from the tree planting, this year we add more activities to improve the habitat of wild elephants and other wildlife, such as the making of artificial salt licks to increase the mineral source in the jungle and a small dam to preserve the water for wild animals throughout the coming dry season.
Click for more photos of our events during July - August 2011.
