Today Travel and Deal features ‘Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary’ a non-profit organisation dedicated to the protection of elephants in Thailand, bringing these beautiful giants back into their natural habitats and providing alternative livelihood for their previous owners. This sanctuary offers a unique experience for travelers to Thailand to contribute to the conservation of the bountiful flora and fauna of the country, by helping to rehabilitate elephants and experiencing the natural beauty of Thailand.
Here is what Kerri McCrea, Manager & Co-Founder of Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary has to say:
My journey started off with my studies – I spent 3 years studying Zoology at Queen’s University Belfast & spent my summers volunteering abroad. Due to my degree & volunteering experience, I was able to land a job working with rehabilitating captive elephants in Thailand. From working on the ground here, I was able to see the situation for captive elephants; being ridden & paraded around all in the name of human entertainment.
I decided I needed to know more; I carried out a lot of research on many types of elephant tourism during my 3 years here. What I found wasn’t what I exactly what I first thought. Although many of the conditions the elephants are kept in shocked me to my core and a lot of places just used these majestic creatures to make an income at any cost, I was also relieved to find hope. Many places and elephants owners want to do everything they can to give their elephants a better life, but just haven’t been given the opportunity or an alternative to do so.
This is when I decided to take action. I met Sombat, my Thai boyfriend through one of the organisations I worked for. He is part of the Karen Hilltribe who are the elephant keepers of Thailand and his family has had elephants passed down through their generations. His family care for their elephants very much, but due to the complex situation, they where forced to keep them in some of the worst conditions I have seen. Together, me and Sombat started working on an alternative. A way for his family to allow their elephants to live as natural a life as possible and still be able to make a living from them.
What makes our project different is that we bring elephants back to their home environment to live in semi-wild conditions with as little human interaction as possible. Due to huge deforestation in Thailand, captive elephants will always have a relationship with man, but our project allows us to keep this to a minimum so the elephants can have the most natural life possible. We also work with our community to provide them with an alternative & educate them on sustainable eco-tourism, that if spreads, will also combat illegal trade.
We need visitors & volunteers to come & help us take care of the elephants, keep them in semi-wild conditions, carry out research on their natural behaviors & help us educate our community. Volunteer’s day will start with hiking to find the elephants in the forest, feeding fruit, carrying out a health check & observing their natural behaviors as they roam through the forest. Afternoons & evenings will be spent carrying out community projects to both help & educate the locals.
You too can get involved through the following methods:
You can book a stay or find out more on the sanctuary website: www.kselephantsanctuary.org
Follow our updates on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/kselephantsanctuary
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindredspiritelephantsanctuary
Twitter: twitter.com/KSES_Thailand
