Help manage an elephant sanctuary and receive career development opportunities
Program Overview
This internship will take you deep into the lush mountainous region surrounding Chiang Mai in Thailand to contribute towards conserving the Asian elephant by living and working with traditional elephant-keeping communities.You will be participating in a program that has been developed to reintroduce captive elephants to their natural habitat in a managed forest.
As an intern during the 12 week training phase you will be assigned the care of an elephant mother and her calf, working closely with a local elephant keeper (mahout) and the community to develop sustainable eco-tourism initiatives and, eventually, lead other volunteers on hikes into the forest or on elephant health inspections.
Your 12 week work placement may involve several projects, such as assisting with elephant behavioral studies, documenting medicinal plants, teaching in local schools, or finding new ways for mahouts to make money so they can avoid a return to a life of unsustainable tourism, circus acting or street-begging. Work placements offer unique opportunities for personal growth, and may involve fundraising, PR, community development, and assisting with the management of a professional conservation program.
After a successful internship, qualifying candidates may be given the opportunity to work for selected partner organizations or with GVI in Thailand, or in other countries around the world.
Life on the Program
Throughout your stay your time will be divided into two main responsibilities: taking elephants on morning walks through the forest and afternoon lectures where you will learn more about elephant keeping. You will not be left to your own devices, as local staff will guide you through your orientation, showing you how to assess your elephant’s health and complete forest surveys.
Your accommodation will be basic in a traditional Karen village. It is expected that you consistently demonstrate respect and adapt to the practices within the community as you will serve as a role model for both locals and volunteers.
Due to the length of your stay, you will have the unique opportunity to become completely immersed in the culture, as you will learn the local language and acquire ancient elephant-keeping techniques.
Project Details
The unfortunate fate for the Asian elephants has left them with a mere 1,000 in the wild in Thailand and 3,000 in captivity. Because of the harsh treatment towards the captive elephants, this number will decline at a rapid rate creating an even more devastating livelihood for these gentle giants.
Your main objective will be to ensure that captive elephants are successfully reintroduced to their natural habitat in the protected forest. This act will contribute to the continued efforts to conserve this impressive animal species, through financial and hands-on support required to make this program sustainable.
The ideal outcome of this program is to sustain elephant families living as a semi-wild population where they can be protected by their mahouts.
How this program makes a difference:
Elephants can be very expensive to care for, and generally are forced to make money through tourism. However, as an unregulated industry, elephant tourism can be an ugly business. Circus elephants are often pushed beyond their limits just to draw larger crowds. Our volunteering with the local community aims to provide a sustainable way for elephants have healthy lives that will ensure their long term conservation and survival.
Volunteer Testimonials
My roles include leading volunteers in a range of activities including measuring the elephants to collect biometric data, observing the elephants social behaviour, collecting food samples, cutting grass for the elephants to eat (with machetes!), and a number of community service activities. I also teach English to the mahouts, home stay families and school children which I enjoy more than I can express in words.
As an intern on this program I've had what I can genuinely say to be some of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. Living and working closely with the Karen people of Huay Pakoot village, I've gained firm friends, learned a great deal about Karen culture, helped the villagers sustain their environmentally sound traditional way of living, been involved with the education of the village children, and fallen in love with this remote, lush and stunningly beautiful part of Thailand.
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Program Details
Build Your Program
What's Included
- Pre-departure support and discounted services
- 24-hour emergency phone
- Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
- Arrival orientation
- Long term experienced staff
- Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)
- All meals (unless otherwise stated in field manuals)
- Welcome meeting
- Location orientation
- All necessary project training by experienced staff
- All necessary project equipment and materials
- 24-hour in-country support
- Teamwork and leadership experience
- Emergency First Response Training
- Living and working within an indigenous community
- Comprehensive training program that encompasses theory lectures, group study and field practice and a weekly review with your mentor
- Final evaluation
- Certification and summary of training and experience received
- Confidential professional reference
- Transportation (as required for project work)
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Medical and travel insurance
- Visa costs
- Personal kit
- Additional drinks and gratuities
- Extra local excursions
- International and domestic airport taxes
