The Friends for Asia
Elephant Camp Volunteer

Elephant Camp Volunteer Project

Location: Chiang Mai

Description:

This elephant camp is located in the Chiang Mai countryside receives a handful of daily visitors. Learn more about these enormous creatures. FFA volunteers enjoy much closer access to the elephants, assisting with their daily care and staying overnight in a rustic house with views of the valley.

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Elephant Camp Volunteer Project in Thailand

Rising early to bathe a 2,000-pound bundle of joy, harvesting grass alongside a machete-wielding mahout, and even making paper from elephant dung—volunteering at the Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai is truly a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's an adventure that many people can only dream of!

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A Day in the Life of an Elephant Camp Volunteer

Imagine going off the grid to a highland conservation facility in Northern Thailand. The accommodation is rustic, with a river running along the perimeter of the camp and lush tropical foliage all around. Solar panels provide just enough power to keep the lights on after dark. Each morning begins with the calls of the junglefowl or, more likely, the trumpeting of mother elephants and their calves. These young elephants require a safe place to nurse for their first two years, and your role as a volunteer helps make that possible.

Elephant Camp Volunteer Tasks

Elephant Nursery Volunteer Tasks

Volunteers at the Elephant Camp can expect plenty of hands-on experience with the elephants, especially the adorable calves who are gaining crucial "trunks-on" experience under the watchful eyes of their mahouts. Expect many memorable, Instagram-worthy moments!

The day starts early, around 6:30 am, with a trip to the river to bathe the elephants, followed by feeding them. Afterward, volunteers enjoy a quick breakfast before taking on their daily tasks, which can range from harvesting grass to making herbal medicine balls for the elephants, depending on the season and camp needs. You'll also help maintain the camp's grounds and facilities and interact with day visitors, sharing the important work being done at the camp.

Making a Difference in the Thailand Elephant Camp Volunteer Program

Making a Difference – Thailand Elephant Nursery Volunteer Program

One of the biggest challenges at the camp is harvesting enough food to meet the nutritional needs of the elephants, who can weigh three to four tons and consume over 135 kilograms (300 pounds) of vegetation daily. Nursing mothers require even more. By joining the staff in daily tasks like harvesting grass, corn, and bananas, you make a significant impact on the elephants' well-being.

This program is part of a growing movement to prioritize elephant health and conservation over entertainment and stunts. By volunteering at this ethical camp, you join a dedicated team working towards viable solutions to the elephant conservation crisis.

You'll also have the opportunity to engage with local villagers, many of whom are staff members from ethnic minority hill tribes in Northern Thailand. They are eager to learn and practice English with volunteers, and there may even be opportunities to help out at the local school.

Volunteer Qualifications for the Elephant Camp in Thailand

Elephant Camp Volunteer Project New One Week Placements are now Available for this Project! This project is available in Chiang Mai.  Rising early to bathe a 2,000-pound bundle of joy. Harvesting grass shoulder-to-shoulder with a machete-wielding mahout. Fashioning elephant dung into paper… It’s not always glamorous, but serving at the elephant camp in Chiang Mai is a once-in-a-lifetime experience – one that most people would never even dream of participating in.    Thailand Elephant Camp Volunteers – A Day in the Life Imagine going off the grid to a highland conservation facility in Northern Thailand. Accommodation is refreshingly rustic. A river churns past the perimeter of the camp, with lush tropical foliage pushing in on every side. Solar panels provide just enough power to keep the lights on after nightfall. Eat your heart out, Jane Goodall.  That’s a fair representation of life at the Elephant Camp, and it only gets better from there. Each morning you’ll rise with the early crows of the junglefowl. But it’s likely another sound that’ll have you scrambling out of bed at the crack of dawn – the trumpeting blast of mother elephants, followed by the fainter echoes of their calves. These adorable elephants need a safe place to nurse for the first two years of their lives, and your contribution to the Elephant Camp helps make that possible.  Elephant Nursery Volunteer Tasks   Plan on lots of elephant contact time during this project. The main difference is the cuteness factor – which is honestly off the charts.  These 3000-kilogram pachyderms spend the day exploring the world and accumulating some all-important trunks-on experience under the mahout’s watchful eye. Plan on some seriously Instagramable moments.  The day begins early (around 6:30 am), when volunteers head to the river to help bathe the elephants before feeding them. After that, volunteers and on-site staff take a moment to feed themselves before tending to their daily tasks, which include everything from harvesting grass to making herbal medicine balls for the elephants, depending upon the season and what’s happening at the camp.  As a volunteer, you’ll join the full-time staff in tending the grounds and facilities. You’ll also be asked to greet and interact with day visitors at the camp, filling them in on some of the details of the important work carried out here.  Making a Difference – Thailand Elephant Nursery Volunteer Program   Believe it or not, one of the biggest challenges at the elephant camp is harvesting enough food to keep these leviathans happy and healthy. The larger elephants easily weigh three or four metric tons, and they routinely eat upwards of 135 kilograms (300 pounds) of vegetation per day. When they’re nursing a calf, their daily dietary needs increase substantially.  Simply heading out with the staff on a daily basis to harvest grass, corn, bananas and other treats makes a huge difference in these elephants’ lives. By donating your time and resources to an above-board project like this – one that prioritizes elephant health and wellbeing over shows and stunts – you can also count yourself among a small-but-growing number of conscientious actors. The people at this Elephant Camp are working toward a viable solution to the elephant conservation crisis, and you can join them.  Finally, you’ll also have the chance to work with local villagers, most of whom are staff members and their families. Most of these people come from ethnic minority hilltribes in Northern Thailand and are eager to learn and practice English with visiting volunteers. Many volunteers choose to help out at the local school when time permits.  Elephant Nursery in Thailand: Volunteer Qualifications

There are few restrictions for enrolling in the elephant camp program. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, physically fit, and comfortable working outdoors with animals. Flexibility, cultural openness, and a willingness to embrace new experiences are essential qualities for this volunteer opportunity in Thailand.

Testimonials

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Sinead O'Leary - Cork, Ireland

My last two days were unforgettable, my mahout brought me through the jungle, which I strongly recommend and also to a deep river and got to act like a cowboy and try and balance on my elephant while he ordered her to throw me off. An amazing experience. Don't be afraid to get wet, have fun, start water fights, and roll around on your elephant in the water, it's a once in a life time experience…!

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James Kneafsey - Dublin, Ireland

It was a joy working at the Elephant Camp: waking up to elephants passing by my balcony in the morning, swimming with the elephants, eating like a king, pitching in with the work, building relationships with the staff and having a well earned beer at the roadside bar in the evening

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