Saving Giants: Discovering the Beauty of Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries

A day at an eco-friendly elephant sanctuary. Imagine a lush green forest set against an electric blue sky and an atmosphere buzzing with joy. That's the backdrop of Chang Chill, an ethical elephant sanctuary in Northern Thailand, where elephants can roam freely and live their lives the way nature intended. It's a far cry from the days when elephants were used for rides or forced to perform tricks.

Chang Chill was developed in collaboration with World Animal Protection (WAP). After working with WAP for nearly two years, Chang Chill became the only elephant reserve in Northern Thailand to be designated elephant-friendly by the animal welfare organisation.

There are no rides here. No bathing or feeding the elephants. In fact, there is no human interaction whatsoever. Instead, visitors spend the day observing the elephants from a deck, learning about their behaviour, gathering food for them and chatting with their mahouts (a person who works with, rides and tends to an elephant). At Chang Chill I heard incredible stories of elephant rescue and rehabilitation and meet amazing people who have dedicated their lives to protecting and caring for these majestic creatures.

Observing elephants in their natural habitat. During my one-day visit I got to see the elephants in their natural habitat being elephants: foraging for food, bathing in the river and mud and wandering through the forest from observation platforms that overlook the river and feeding stations. The mahouts taught us about elephant conservation, behaviour, diets, sleep, weight, about traditional herbs and how to prepare elephant food.

One of my favourite parts of the day was learning how to prepare elephant food and finding out about traditional herbs. I especially enjoyed helping to fill the elephant’s feeding tubes with corn, sugarcane, grass, bananas and other supplements. To make the vitamin supplements, we had to mash and grind several ingredients to create huge balls of mush. Since the elephants don’t always get the nutrients they need from the forest, these mush balls provide the vitamin supplements they are lacking.

As soon as the food and mush balls were placed inside the feeding tubes, the elephants came running down the hill for their afternoon snack.

It was amazing to chat with the staff at the sanctuary and hear their story of transitioning to an ethical elephant sanctuary. At first, they were concerned that the new way of running the sanctuary wouldn’t be profitable enough, but they soon realised that it was the right thing to do for the elephants. They are now very proud of having found a way to make money from tourism without harming the elephants.

Supporting eco-friendly tourism. Sometimes we forget about the people who rely on the tourism industry to make a living. Tourists play just as important a role in ensuring that animals are treated ethically. If less tourists are willing to take part in activities that exploit animals, such as riding elephants, it will be easier for sanctuaries to become more ethical. Chang Chill is an example of how staff can have a stable income without compromising the well-being of the elephants. It's a win-win situation for everyone!

It's important for us to understand that making positive changes takes time and effort. By supporting places like Chang Chill, we can encourage the transformation of more tourist camps into ethical sanctuaries. We get to see happy elephants living their best lives, and the staff can have a job they can be proud of.

Let's remember the people who work in this industry and choose to support places that prioritise the well-being of both animals and humans. Together, we can make a difference!

Chang Chill Website: http://changchill.com/