03/04/2025
We are an elephant conservation center dedicated to rescuing elephants from various backgrounds. We choose to care for elephants that have suffered from poor treatment in the past.
One such elephant is Wasana, a female elephant we rescued from a logging company. During peak tourist seasons, she was sometimes used for elephant rides. Ten years ago, we purchased her for 1,200,000 THB when she was in poor health and deeply distrustful of humans. Both of her ears were torn, and her body bore scars—on her neck, back, and legs. It took us more than six months to earn her trust and help her transform into a gentle and happy elephant.
After some time with us, Wasana still did not seem as happy as we had hoped. We consulted a veterinarian, who explained that elephants are highly social animals and need companionship. This led us to purchase a male elephant named Noi. Unfortunately, Noi was with us for only a short time before he passed away due to a digestive disorder—he was unable to defecate. Under normal circumstances, we would have taken him to the Elephant Hospital, which is about three hours away, but due to COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by the government at that time, we were unable to do so. Sadly, Noi passed away at the age of 60.
After the COVID-19 crisis, we rescued another elephant, Maruay, who had spent her life performing in a circus. She had been taken from Northern Thailand at the age of five and trained to entertain tourists by playing football, walking on two legs, playing the mouth organ, balancing on a tightrope, and painting. Maruay endured over 50 years in the circus before we were able to buy her for 1,000,000 THB.
When Maruay first arrived, she was in poor health. After each performance, she was rewarded with sugar, conditioning her to associate performing with receiving sweet treats. Over time, this led to severe tooth decay, making it difficult for her to chew properly and causing digestive problems. In the beginning, we had to take her to the hospital multiple times until we found a solution—purchasing a food grinder and creating specialized meals to improve her health. Now, Maruay is 59 years old and in good condition. She has become extremely affectionate, constantly seeking hugs and physical contact from us throughout the day.
As tourism slowly returned to Khao Sok after the pandemic, visitors became interested in meeting elephants. We are the only place in the area with elephants year-round because all of our elephants belong to us—we do not rent them for tourist activities. Many places that rent elephants return them to logging camps during the low season, forcing the elephants back into labor as their owners seek continuous income. Our sanctuary is different, but we have strict ethical guidelines—we do not allow elephant riding or bathing.
Initially, very few visitors came to us because of these restrictions. However, after we explained our reasons, more and more people began to support our ethical approach, leading to a steady increase in visitors. With this growth, we were able to rescue another elephant: Pure.
Pure is 52 years old. She spent about 20 years in a Northern Thai logging company before being sold to a family in the Northeastern region. There, she was used to wander the streets selling food and souvenirs made from ivory and elephant hair to tourists. We purchased Pure for 1,500,000 THB just three weeks ago, with financial support from Julia Hardt, who generously contributed 2,000 EUR toward her rescue. Since joining our sanctuary, Pure seems much happier, enjoying the company of her new elephant friends.
://www.khaosokelephantsanctuary.com/
