An inspiring project
Elephants are still used as ‘beasts of burden’ in Laos – particularly in the logging industry. In many cases, this can involve cruelty and abuse. This sanctuary offers a fresh start to abused and retired elephants, giving them a safe home in the Lao rainforest. Here these gentle giants can roam around, supervised by their own ‘mahout’. The elephants are now free to wander, bathe, play and socialise in a way that they never have before. You can provide much needed help to ensure its work continues.
Your role
A key job is to prepare enrichments for the elephants, allowing them to stretch themselves mentally and start thinking like they would do in the wild. It’s a great opportunity to get up close to them and discover their individual characters – as they play with the enrichments you are able to watch them closely, monitoring how they interact and what they are doing. You can then turn your hand to a variety of other jobs such as maintenance work around the sanctuary, helping with monitoring of the elephants in their wild environment and improving the education about elephant conservation. A daily highlight is to walk the elephants to their bathing pond and watch them having a good splash together.
While you’re there you’ll discover a lot about the lifestyle and conservation needs of elephants. It’s a unique opportunity for anyone with a passion for these magnificent creatures.
Accommodation
All accommodation and food is included. You’ll be based in clean, convenient accommodation on-site with 3 delicious meals each day.
