Elephantstay — Local services in Suan Phrik Subdistrict Administrative Organization

My Travel partner and I travel to different countries every two years and this time we were heading to Asia. Thailand was one of our destinations and I was thinking, "What cool thing could we do as animal lovers?" We generally do something with animals at least once on our trips. I have a friend who has spent his whole life in the circus until recently, so I asked him for a recommendation and without hesitating, he said "Go to Elephantstay!!" We had a year and a half to go so I started following them on Facebook. Then the twins were born and then Tank was born and just watching their daily interactions with Dr. Ploy and saving these calves was amazing. We both have backgrounds in veterinary medicine so we booked a three night stay. My expectation was just to be able to touch an elephant and get to know them. Our expectations were blown out of the water! Ewa, Michelle and Lexi are the best hosts anywhere in the world. They made us feel right at home and we were treated like extended family immediately. We shared Rasumee as our elephant. We were immediately introduced, briefed on safety and how elephants view things and started to work with her. The facility is completely open on all sides to the public. First thing in the morning the whole village gets everything ready for the day including sweeping the streets, feeding everyone, taking elephants to the river to drink or swim and then the mahouts take their bulls to town to go to work. In the evening everything is reversed. Since logging is banned in Thailand and these are many generations of elephants in domesticity, they need to have a job to do just like horse do around the world. In this case, they give rides to tourists and perform for the King when he has an event. There is nothing inherently wrong about riding elephants. It's weird for Westerners because the only animal we ride is a horse, but the Asian world has been riding for over 8,000 years and there is nothing a tiny human can do to harm them with sitting on them. They are much, much more intelligent than any other domestic animal on the planet and they are strong enough to kill us if there is a misunderstanding. In fact, Elephantstay does accept "killer elephants" and rehabilitates them. They explain the role of the takaw and once you feel one and see one being used, it's the same tool that our 4H and FFA kids use on their hogs and steers to show them at fair. It is a slightly different shape, and a whole lot lighter than you would think it would be, but it's the same tool. As for the chains, my question would be "How would you halter an elephant?" They have to be contained somehow or they would just wander away. The foot is the most logical area. Some have neck chains but not for tethering. The climate is hot and humid all year long. Ropes would hold dirt, debris and moisture in. Chains let the skin breathe and let dirt dry and fall off. They are released from their tethers several times a day to graze and bathe. The whole area is open to the public and anyone from any angle can see what is going on at any time of the day. There would be no hiding anything (not that they have anything to hide) and there is no "back area". The best part for my partner and I was the kids. They were on summer break and they play all day long with the elephants and for two people in education back in the states, it was awesome to be able to get to know them and learn how much they know about being a mahout, while back home our kids are on video game stations unless they are ranch kids. What a great way to grow up! I will forever be grateful to Ewa, Michelle, Lexi and Pong for this...

WOW WOW WOW. I have followed Elephantstay for a decade from Alice Springs with the intention of going, then came covid, a career change and then TWINS!! Not mine, elephant twins! and I being a fraternal twin, fell deeply. ||||So before they got too big I decided it was time.||||I was a sole Elephantstay visitor and felt fortunate to have a one on one experience with everyone 😁||||First days were quiet as I got the feel for my environment, the elephants and being in a foreign country again after a decade. ||||I rate my stay and experience 11/10. Not only was it firstly - friendly, it was educative and understanding of peoples inexperience and limited understanding, of a culture that has had a working relationship with elephants for 5000 years. ||||If there was something I saw and didn't like or understand then I was encouraged to ask questions before judging. I did ask questions because I was interested, intrigued and in my element, the element of new experience, which was wonderful, elephantastic infact!||||Having travelled to Thailand before and having lived with the Central Australian indigenous population and having friends whose livelihoods involved livestock such as cattle, horses, sheep and camels. I had a foundational understanding of a different culture and working with animals. So I repectfully absorbed what was happening around me. ||||Having come from a nursing back ground I was very impressed with the level of care and cleanliness that the elephants reside in. Gobsmacked at the amount of food that is required, obtained and supplied. Embracing the unique opportunity to feed the elephants healthy snacks which could be purchased on site. ||||Watching the day to day activities that go on was interesting. Mahouts readying their mounts to go off to feed, bathe and work. A symbiotic relationship that reflected both getting on harmoniously with their activities of daily living.||||Being as close to an elephant as I'd ever been before was a very humbling experience. The sheer size and beauty of this majestic creature. Who was for the most part, like any animal, disinterested in me when I was not the bearer of food 😂.||||Jumpee, Yitor, Soy, Honey, Rasamee and (dang, I've forgotten her name, that makes me feel a little deflated) are beautiful creatures and it's difficult not to want to interact with all of them, however there are rules of interaction based on safety of the human and safety of the elephant and having respect for all I was happy to conform. ||||What wonder humans are Ewa, Michelle and Lexi, who I had the most to do with being that they co ordinate the Elephantstay and programme. The programme is simple, easy and flexible if you want to do something else in Ayutthaya or just have a rest. ||||I had the good fortune to meet some of the wonderful Thai people who are a part of the Elephant Kraal, it takes a community!!||||Do yourself a favour, go and have an elephantstay experience, I highly recommend it and I can't wait to have more elephantstay experiences in the future.||||Oh, riding Jumpee, I think it is a very personal experience, and I've raved enough, what an amazing creature, what an experience, there is defo respect and admiration for every elephant, mahout and child that has this...

I came into elephantstay with very little knowledge of elephants but have always been passionate about animals and was eager to learn about how they are treated, etc. As a result I stayed here for 3 days and I learnt so much more than I ever anticipated. The hosts made so much time for my partner and I, for example, they stayed up with us till late every night (even though they had work at 6am the next day) just to chat to us and make our experience fun! They were also so passionate towards educating us on elephants and Thai culture as a whole. They taught us how to speak words in Thai, how to respect the culture, and introduced us to some delicious Thai dishes. After spending a long time trying to choose an elephant sanctuary, we came across this village and it stood out to us. This village offers so much more than just an afternoon of bathing elephants which the majority of tourists are sucked into. They show you how to know when the elephants are happy or sad, what to feed them, how to communicate with them and so much more. I learnt that the elephantstay has the highest number of successful births, has been visited by Thailand royalty, and even has a vet who lives there 24/7 to care for all the elephants needs. Yes - you can ride the elephants which at first may sound unethical, however, I learnt that each elephant is able to happily carry up to 25% of its body weight but the elephants only actually carry around 10%. Also, I rode the elephant once a day for around 40 minutes which included swim-time for the elephant. Therefore, they are not being constantly ridden for hours and hours and giving rides to tourists is actually integral to preventing their extinction as it the main source of income. Not to mention, the elephants enjoy it as they get exercise and are able to eat as much food as they want along the way. I ensured that the elephants were not being exploited, as a lot of articles suggest, because I simply could not live with myself if I was involved in anything that was putting elephants in harms way. Many articles spread a lot of questionable information about the elephants as I have not been able to find any supporting research for what they are stating. I learnt that elephants would be extinct if they were not allowed to work, as work offers them a purpose and the exercise that they need to be happy and healthy. If they do not wish to work, they are not forced to do so at the Elephantstay which was music to my ears as it shows that the elephants are not forced to do anything they don’t wish to do. Therefore, I would recommend elephantstay if you are looking to create deep connections with the elephants and are looking to gain a genuine insight into the life of the domestic elephants...