“Volunteering for a week at the Thailand Elephant Sanctuary for my 21st birthday was the best decision I have ever made.”
Salomae is a student from Australia who volunteered at the Thailand Elephant Sanctuary in September 2015.
Volunteering at the sanctuary
Every morning I woke up to the sound of gibbons singing and set off for a day of hard and rewarding work with 15 amazing elephants who all had their own dark pasts and distinct personalities.
Being able to get up close and feed, bathe and walk the elephants such as Pai Lin is without a doubt the one of the best experiences of my life. Saying that, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly sad that I could have this experience to begin with, as in an ideal world no elephants would have gone through the devastating Phajaan process (the taming of wild elephants for domestication using cages, punishment or negative reinforcement) and need to be at the sanctuary in the first place. However, as a person you can only choose to do the right or wrong thing, and by helping these elephants at the sanctuary rather than supporting elephant tourism you are making the right decision and making the best of the situation in Thailand.
Not all of the elephants were as placid as Pai Lin. One of the highlights of my trip was bull elephant Khan Khluey throwing a rock at me! Although scary it was a hilarious moment and it was so beautiful to see that although he had gone through the Phajaan process at age one he was still "wild" enough to do this.
Even more heartwarming yet was the story of baby Pin being reunited with her mother Pun at the sanctuary and knowing that the cheeky little bub will never have to go through the Phajaan process herself. I want to return in the future to see what Pin is like when she grows up, as seeing her, her mother and her "aunty" elephants grazing and trumpeting to one another just made me stop and stare in awe of the beauty of it.
An incredible opportunity
Volunteering for a week at the Thailand Elephant Sanctuary for my 21st birthday was the best decision I have ever made. I had such a wonderful insight not only into the conservation of elephants and other wildlife but into Thai culture being on temple grounds and eating traditional Thai food most nights, meeting a great range of like-minded people from all over the world and I have memories that I will cherish forever!
Thank you for this incredible opportunity – I will cherish these memories forever!