Conservation in an Elephant Village in Thailand

  Thailand

• All Other Areas in Thailand: 
Surin

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks

Description: The Asian elephant is not only the largest living land creature on the continent, but the national symbol of this beautiful country. Dedicated to bringing elephants and their mahouts home to the area, the North-Eastern Province of Surin is not only host to the biggest elephant roundup every year, but to one of the most valuable conservation projects in the country. You'll help the mahouts with feeding, bathing, grooming and training the charming creatures, whilst teaching them a bit of English on the side (the mahouts that is, not the Elephants!).

Project details:
You will be working at a well-respected elephant foundation in Ta Klang village in Tha Toom district of Surin (58 km north of Surin down town) The village was established in 2006, under the supervision of the provincial government in order to put into practice the philosophy of "bringing the local elephants home for the development of their hometown". The aim of the foundation is to encourage mahouts (elephant carers) from various parts of Thailand to return to their home town with their elephants. Currently, the foundation houses over 80 elephants. Volunteers will be working with the elephants and also teaching English language to the mahouts.

Why the project needs volunteers:
It is believed that around 1300 elephants have left Surin province due to lack of traditional work as a result of the extensive de-forestation in the region. Some of these elephants are now working and living in the busy streets of Bangkok - used as a tool for 'begging'. in Surin, the provincial administrative organization has opened the Elephant Village in Ta Klang village to encourage mahouts bring these elephants back to their home province. The elephants and mahouts are re-trained to demonstrate various techniques to show to visitors and also for the Surin Elephant festival, the biggest elephant festival in Thailand. International visitors are needed to raise the profile of the village and volunteers are required to help reach the village's goal to be the biggest 'elephant village' in the world and to provide a sustainable place for humans and their elephants to live alongside each other.

Highlights:
* Working with these huge, lovable animals
* Learning about the lives of the mahouts
* Experiencing what many people consider as the 'real' Thailand

Qualifications: What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
Conservation volunteers need to be hands-on people who love the outdoors. You must be prepared for some relatively hard physical work, and you must be flexible and pro-active, as this project involves a variety of activities. English teaching skills may also be utilised during your conservation placement. This placement would suit someone with bags of initiative who is prepared to work hard both individually and in a team, However, most of all someone the placement will suit anyone with a real passion for elephants and their future.

Your role as a volunteer:
As a volunteer you may assist with daily activities such as feeding, cleaning and caring for the elephants. You could, and probably will, also be asked to teach conversational English to the mahouts which is invaluable when income of the Foundation has a focus on tourism and education.

Cost in US$: USD 1,645.00 for 2 weeks

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18-80

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Thailand Independently

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994