Elephants are absolutely fantastic creatures. The world’s largest animals which can grow over 3 m tall and weigh over 6,000 kg are called gentle giants. And once you learn about them, you will understand why. 

Elephants have legendary memory because their brain is the biggest among all land mammals. They never forget. And this is true. They can recall other elephants, humans they have encountered, food paths, and watering holes even after many years. Moreover, they transmit this information to each other through generations. If you once met an elephant and spent some time with it, it will “tell” all his relatives about you.

Elephants are very intelligent and social. They can show compassion and kindness toward those in need, and even coordinate with each other to help sick or injured ones.

Elphants’ sensitivity, kindness, and long memory cause them a lot of problems. The individual who experienced tragedy or abuse will have symptoms of PTSD even after they’ve found safety in the sanctuary. And this leads us to the main point of this article.

In Thailand, elephants play an important role in culture and history. They got their high status because of the story about Buddha’s birth. According to the story, Buddha’s mother had a dream before she gave birth, that the white elephant brought her a lotus flower. Since then white elephants have been considered sacred.

Unfortunately, despite their status, around 50% of elephants live in captivity nowadays. People are coming to Thailand to visit elephant farms, experience trekking, and just watch these giant kind creatures. There is no judgment at all because not everyone knows how the training is done and what conditions are these elephants being kept at. And we aim to educate people.

Being in captivity for a wild animal is not natural. In order to train elephants to drive people on their backs, paint for them or stand for the show, they are going through different pieces of training that are traumatizing physically and mentally. 

Let’s make the world better together. Do not ride the elephant, do not pay for getting paint, and avoid the shows where elephants or any other animals are involved. There are a lot of sanctuaries around Thailand in general and particularly in Phuket. Visit them to observe and for example, feed them. These actions give not harm but only joy and happiness to both parties: you and the elephants.

Save elephants, save the planet!