Elephant Nature Park, Nature reserve near Chiang Mai, Thailand
Elephant Nature Park is a nature reserve near Chiang Mai, Thailand, that provides rescued Asian elephants with space to move and live together. The grounds extend over hilly pastures, streams, and patches of forest where the animals feed and bathe.
Saengduean Chailert founded the refuge in 1995 after witnessing mistreated working elephants in logging camps. Over the years, more than two hundred animals have been freed from the entertainment industry and heavy labor and brought here.
The facility combines traditional Thai beliefs about the role of these animals with modern animal welfare thinking. Visitors see how caretakers apply plant-based remedies and gentle methods that originated in rural communities.
Daily tours start in the morning from Chiang Mai with transport to the site and end in the late afternoon. Visitors can watch the animals feeding, receive a vegetarian lunch, and should wear comfortable clothing as paths can be dusty or muddy.
Visitors often help roll herbal balls from crushed plants and spices that older or sick animals receive as dietary supplements. This practice allows guests to support the plant-based diet of the pachyderms directly.
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