Ethical Elephant Volunteering in Thailand

Emeral Lemear III Start Date: Apr 29, 2020 - End Date: Oct 25, 2020
  • Mueang Khong, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai, Thailand

My Travel Story

by: Emeral Lemear III Start Date: Apr 29, 2020 - End Date: Oct 25, 2020
Hello good humans! 
My name is Emeral Lemear. I am a student at East Carolina University. I am currently raising funds to volunteer abroad with GIVE in northern Thailand. I have previously volunteered in Thailand (August 2019). During our trip we spent time helping graduate students of Chiang Mai University with their reforestation project, provided children of the local hill tribes the chance to learn English from native speakers, put in hard labor hours on a permaculture plot that helps children at a local school to have a healthy diet, painted and did minor improvements to a primary school, and spent time with local mahouts (elephant caregivers) learning about ethical elephant tourism. 
This go around, I will be spending most of my time with the elephants! The Asian elephant is an endangered species. It is estimated that approximately 50% of the Asian elephant population has been lost to deforestation, human- elephant conflict, poaching/smuggling, and other issues. Asian elephants and human beings have had relationships for centuries. In Thailand, elephants were commonly used in the logging industry, tourism industry, and even warfare. It is now almost inevitable that an Asian elephant will have some sort of human contact within its lifetime. 
Luckily, there is some hope for these amazing creatures. The Thai government is cracking down on elephant smuggling and poaching. Most of the country’s logging industry is developed to the point of using trucks and other machinery instead of elephants now. Also, there has been increased education on ethical elephant tourism! 
GIVE has built strong relationships with local elephant caregivers and advocates over the years and that gives us the opportunity to play a part in protecting this animal. We can help advocate for ethical elephant conservation and tourism. Using the funds that each volunteer raises along with local initiatives, GIVE is able to support ethical elephant conservation centers and even a hospital that provides free care to Asian elephants. By putting volunteers in the host country, GIVE is able to provide hands on assistance with caretaking, facility upkeep, food production, and other tasks around the facilities that we visit. 
Your dollars go further than just elephant conservation though! When you help send a volunteer into one of GIVE’s host destinations, you are also supporting the locals of that country. GIVE employs locals at all locations. These locals serve as guides, logistics specialists, and more. GIVE also partners with local community leaders and small businesses. Volunteers, interns, and guides have to eat, and when we do, we are fed by local caterers and small restaurants in the communities we visit. We stay in accommodations owned by locals. We are encouraged to spend personal money in local businesses to support the economy. Also, we are able to build strong connections with these communities.  
I would truly appreciate your donation of any amount! 
Emeral Lemear 
  • Mueang Khong, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai, Thailand

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