Our Projects

Projects We Support

Save Elephant Foundation directly supports the following three sanctuaries for elephants in Asia - Elephant Nature Park in Northern Thailand, Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia and Elephant Sanctuary Loas in Sayaboury Province, Northern Loas.

Elephant Nature Park

Elephant Nature Park (ENP) is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre in Northern Thailand, founded by renowned elephant rights advocate, Saengduean Chailert (Lek). It is the first elephant sanctuary of its kind established in Asia and currently provides a caring home to over 100 elephants. Many of the elephants living at ENP have been rescued from street begging, elephant riding, and circus shows, where they often sustained both physical and psychological injuries. The park’s herds include blind, crippled, orphaned, and senior elephants who are now free to live a peaceful life in natural surroundings, where they are loved and respected.

Rescued elephants at ENP have the freedom to form friendships, find a herd, and live without fear of punishment – often for the first time in their lives. During the day, the elephants at the park can be seen grazing in the fields, bathing in the river, playing in the mud pits, socializing, and caring for their young. There are several elephants who were born at the park and live happily in herds with their mothers and nannies, free of past trauma.

Visitors to the park help support ongoing efforts to rescue more elephants from desperate circumstances as well as aid local communities. Educational programs are provided to help visitors better understand the plight of the Asian elephant and the challenges faced in protecting this endangered, keystone species. More than an elephant sanctuary, ENP is also home to hundreds of other rescued animals, including dogs, cats, horses, buffalo, cows, pigs, goats and more.

Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary

Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary is a conservation project that spans 32,000 acres, on the edge of the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is one of the largest protected areas in Cambodia and is home to several endangered species, including the giant ibis, banteng, Eld’s deer, sarus crane, several monkey species, gibbons, and several turtle species. Once densely forested and rich in biodiversity, this area has been significantly impacted by illegal logging and poaching. The project is located an hour and half north of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex and focuses on protecting and restoring the jungle habitat, while caring for elephants and other rescued animals

Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary provides a safe home to three rescued elephants, including two females, Di-Ploh and Sarai Mia, who have lived at the sanctuary for many years and are free to roam the jungle during the day, foraging on natural vegetation.

On November 30, 2020, they were joined by the now famous Kaavan, dubbed ‘the loneliest elephant in the world’. Rescued from deplorable conditions at the Islamabad Zoo in Pakistan, he was flown to CWS with the support of singer, Cher, Free the Wild, Four Paws, together with many others who campaigned for Kaavan’s freedom. Kaavan is the first bull elephant to live at the sanctuary. It is wonderful to see this majestic elephant enjoying his life in nature with the freedom to explore his the freedom to explore his jungle home, doing what comes naturally.

Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary offers single days visits, overnight stays and one-week volunteer trips where visitors have the chance to spend time with rescued elephants in the jungle admiring them from a close but respectful distance. Observing the elephants wandering in their natural habitat, foraging on native plants, drinking from the damns, cooling off in the ponds, and just being elephants is a fascinating experience.

Volunteers have the unique opportunity of walking with the elephants as they wander the jungle during the day, watching them forage and behaving spontaneously. They also help to care for the elephants by cutting and preparing food for them and cleaning their night shelters. Volunteers play an important role in helping to reforest the area by collecting seeds, planting saplings, and tying Buddhist sashes around tree trunk to protect them from being cut down. Additional volunteer activities include caring for other rescued animals who have found a home at the sanctuary, as well as teaching English at a local school. The ongoing support of volunteers and visitors is vital to ensuring the project’s continued success caring for the rescued animals and protecting and regenerating this important natural habitat so that it can sustain a diverse range of wildlife for generations to come.

Elephant Sanctuary Laos

Elephant Sanctuary Laos was established in early 2020 to provide a caring home in nature for rescued Asian elephants. Our sanctuary offers a haven for elephants who have endured abuse as working animals, providing them with a safe and nurturing environment to recover and thrive. The sanctuary is set on large area of land in Sayaboury Province, about 3 hours from Luang Prabang. Laos was formerly known as the “land of a million elephants” and once had large natural habitats with thick jungles for wild elephants to roam and a sparse human population. However, years of war, ever-expanding human settlements, forest destruction, and the ivory trade have conspired to reduce the population to about 500, of which about half are wild elephants and the other half are captive elephants.

Elephant Sanctuary Laos

In the past, captive elephants in Laos were mostly used in logging, where they were worked to exhaustion and often suffered injuries. Nowadays they are also used in the tourist industry, giving rides and performing. With their numbers dwindling, there is an urgent need to protect the remaining elephants and provide a safe haven where they can live free from exploitation.

The sanctuary was founded by Saengduean Lek Chailert, an award-winning conservationist and founder of Save Elephant Foundation and Elephant Nature Park. Lek is renowned for her decades long dedication to protecting Asian elephants and other animals so that they may live with dignity, free from fear. Elephant Sanctuary Laos is located in a remote forested area intersected by a river, providing plenty of space for the elephants to roam, forage, swim, and just be elephants. The sanctuary is home to over 10 elephants rescued from logging and riding, who are now able to live a better, more natural life where they can form small herds and develop friendships, and freely interact with each other. In the morning, the elephants venture into a large forested area with their mahouts, who are provided with a picnic lunch and are able to spend their whole day in the jungle, foraging on native vegetation, taking mud baths, and swimming in the river. In the afternoon, the elephants return to the sanctuary and enjoy fruit treats before spending the night in chain free shelters.

By volunteering at Elephant Sanctuary Laos, you will play a vital role in enhancing the lives of the elephants and contributing to conservation efforts in Laos. Volunteers actively participate in protecting the well-being of the elephants and improving their living conditions. The volunteer program offers a unique opportunity to observe the intricate social interactions within the herd and experience spending quality time in close proximity to elephants in their natural habitat. You’ll also have the chance to help prepare food for the elephants and learn about their individual stories and the underlying issues within the captive elephant industry.

The sanctuary also provides a safe haven to lots of other rescued animals including goats, cows, chickens, rabbits, ducks, geese, and turkeys. There are also many dogs and cats who have found a loving home at the sanctuary as well as a few monkeys and some tortoises! A small team of dedicated people work hard every day caring for the elephants and other rescued animals with kindness and respect.

Improving the Lives of Elephants

Save Elephant Foundation encourages elephant owners and small elephant tourism operators to strive towards ethical practices that improve the well-being of the elephants under their care. We support many Saddle Off projects located throughout Thailand, promoting an ethical approach to elephant tourism, which represents a major evolution in the way these projects operate. The Saddle Off model is aimed at raising the standard of living conditions for captive Asian elephants by removing the burden of elephant riding and performing in shows, while still providing economic sustainability for their owners through responsible tourism.

These programs are designed to create a non-stressful environment for the elephants by giving them the chance to roam, socialize, and forage in natural surroundings, while offering visitors a meaningful, intimate encounter with these gentle giants. This shift is welcomed by responsible travelers who are choosing to witness the splendor of elephants by walking with them in the forest, feeding them, bathing them, and observing their behavior, instead of making the elephants labor under their weight with an uncomfortable seat strapped to their bodies. The Saddle Off projects provide a rewarding experience with elephants, many of whom have a history of giving rides to tourists, performing tricks, and being subjected to mistreatment. The elephants at these ethical elephant projects are given the opportunity to live a more natural life, free of the saddle, with time to forage and wander in the forest.