The Elephant Project in Thailand changes their policy around interactions with their elephants. Read part of their full statement on the next pages to learn what this means now for volunteers who join the project.
"If you really think about it, touching and feeding an elephant - no matter how limited the interaction time is and how that may be considered the most amazing experience for the tourist - is really only benefiting the tourist. The elephants are able to feed themselves and they have their own mahout that can give them a bath.
Our first ever retired Elephant, Mae Kam already sets the example for the Hands Off program; she is an elephant that prefers her space. She has had a lifetime of hardship, she is damaged from the loss of her calves and she trusts very few people. For a long time now Mae Kam’s mahout and a limited few of our staff can actually work closely with her. We decided a while ago that tourists needed to take a step back and just enjoy observing her going about her days from a respectful distance.
News from the Elephant Project in Thailand!