Elephant Welfare & Sustainable Income In Thailand

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for your ongoing support. When the pandemic hit one year ago, and international tourism in Thailand ground to a halt, it was a difficult time for the community in Huay Pakoot and their elephants. Most elephants that are owned by the community work in tourism camps, and when these closed, the community had no choice but to bring the elephants back to the village, to feed and look after them at their own expense.

The community of Huay Pakoot care deeply about their elephants, seeing them as a member of their own family. They worked hard to keep the elephants well-fed and happy through the pandemic. The village used to be surrounded by endless forest, however now due to the farming industry (which is encouraged by big companies in Bangkok), the forest is now fragmented, this means that it was hard to find space for the now 70 elephants to forage, a much larger number than the project had originally planned for!

However, the community have used this pandemic as a way to discuss the future for their elephants. They are all very keen to move towards a more ethical line of tourism, with more elephants being in the forest and able to roam as they please. First, that requires some reforestation of the area, and a steady stream of tourists to supply sufficient funds.

Our aim is to support them to develop their ethical tourism model by initially helpiing to fund the reintegration of elephants back to the forest and supplying capacity building initiatives for community members so they can assist with and take ownership of this project. Over the next few months, staff members will be working closely with the community to refine the existing plan and refine it according to the new needs and expanson of the elephant herd. We’re really excited to all come back togther, plan the next steps we need to take together, and for the rest of the year. With tourism starting up again, things are looking promising.

In support of GVI Charitable Programs "The 6th Mass Extinction" campaign, we will also be joining nearly 500 other people around the world to help highlight the current conservation and climate crisis we all face, actions we can all take to help reduce the negative impact we are all having on the planet and to help raise funds to support critical conservation and climate action projects. To support or donate to the campaign, please see the link below. 

Lastly, we'd like to thank you all for all of your support so far, and in the future. The work completed so far, and the future success of the project, would not be possible without the help and support of people like you! Thank you.

Links:

• The 6th Mass Extinction campaign (Thailand)