Meeting Asian Elephants In Thailand
Hope you liked my posts on Cambodia including my magical visit to Angkor Wat as well as my time in Vietnam and the fun scooter food tour I took. Both of these two countries were first time visits for me while the next country on my Asia tour, Thailand, is a return visit but it’s been many years – I recall I was still using a disposable camera back then. On this recent visit to Thailand, I was hoping to see the Grand Palace as well as some amazing temples in Bangkok but never made it as I was under the weather for a bit during the days I was planning to tour them and I didn’t want to risk getting overheated in the daytime hours there. The next destination after Thailand was my big scuba diving liveaboard trip in Raja Ampat, Indonesia and I didn’t want to jeopardize that part of my trip so I stayed in my hotel much of the daytime.
However, early in my Thailand stay when I was still feeling okay, I did manage to get one of my objectives done there which was to meet some Asian elephants. My original objective was to take an elephant ride much like the way I got to ride on a camel when I was in Egypt. But upon further research, this objective changed.
Elephant Riding Is Considered Unethical
I learned that elephant riding is considered unethical for two main reasons. First is many elephants which are used in riding are abused both physically and mentally (I saw a few elephants being used for riding with chains on their ankles). Also I learned that excess weight with people sitting in carriages on top of the backs is actually harmful to elephants as their physiology is not the same as with horses and camels.
So I quickly abandoned my original objective and looked for elephant sanctuaries that focus on ethical activities only with fun participation rather than riding. Fortunately there are now many such ethical elephant sanctuaries in Thailand so I booked a half day with one called Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary.
My Visit To Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary
My day started with a pickup from my Airbnb for a 45 minute trip to Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary. When we got there, in addition to four elephants present, there were dogs, chickens and some sort of Asian buffalo I think roaming around the place (although the buffalo kept to one area). We were given a welcome briefing and for those who were planning to go into the water with the elephants, we changed into our bathing suits.
We then went to help make some food for the elephants which contained some extra nutrient supplements for them. After this task, we went to meet and feed the elephants. I’m sure most of the guests have never been up so close to an elephant before so this was indeed exciting.
After feeding the elephants, we went for a nice walk through a jungle path to a pool area where we got to go into the water with them to help bath them. This was an optional activity as not all guests wanted to get wet although I was more than willing since it was a hot day and this would be a fuller experience with the elephants. It was almost like a spa treatment for them as they get this twice per day with tourists. But since most of these elephants at sanctuaries are rescued from abusive pasts, I’m so glad that they are finally getting the nice life they deserve.
After the bathing, some of the elephants had a fun water fight with us – again only those of us who were willing to get wet participated while the others watched. The elephants seemed to really enjoy this and of course they won!
After this fun water fight, we went back to the main base where the sanctuary treated us to a nice Thai vegetarian lunch. Much to my surprise, this visit to Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary ended up being the top highlight for me during my trip to Thailand. Interacting with these gentle giants was so special and rewarding. The video below captures the fun moments we had with the elephants.
For anyone visiting Thailand, I would totally recommend visiting a venue like Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary as there are other ones near most of the key tourist areas of the country. Just make sure that they are ethical ones that do not involve any elephant riding.
The elephant on the left in the above photo sure knows how to pose! Next article will feature another interesting attraction I visited in Thailand.
