“Elephant conservation is of the utmost importance to us, and our elephants’ welfare is our main goal.”
To start with, it’s probably best to tell you a little about us and how we started Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve.
We were founded by a cooperative of passionate experts who have worked in the elephant welfare field for many years — in fact, we have many decades of collective experience when we add it all together.
We felt that Phuket needed an elephant sanctuary that did as many things right as possible; helping elephants, educating people, and being kind to the environment.
We knew that there was an appetite from locals and tourists alike to visit truly ethical elephant sanctuaries, so we were confident that our dream would be successful.
Filled with enthusiasm, we worked hard to design and build the sanctuary; the only problem was that we finished building at the end of 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic effectively stalled the tourism industry in Thailand.
A difficult two years followed, but we’re extremely pleased to have made it through the other side — partly due to our hard work and partly due to the kind generosity of people around the world who supported us, ensuring our elephants were well-fed and cared for.
So, what makes us Phuket’s most ethical elephant sanctuary?
First and foremost, our elephants always come first. We started our sanctuary to save and protect as many elephants as possible. All money raised from our visitor programs is used directly to support our entire sanctuary.
This includes providing elephant food, expert veterinarian care, and providing livelihoods for local mahouts and staff. In addition, we are always looking to expand our sanctuary, obtain more land, and rescue more elephants.
We are located on 30 rai of lush jungle near the famous beaches on the west coast of Phuket, Thailand.
As a pioneer in ethical tourism, we offer an educational and sustainable approach at our elephant reserve.
We have rescued overworked, tired elephants from the Thailand tourist industry and welcomed them into our natural jungle environment. They now have a safe home and can live a protected and peaceful life.
All our elephants have come from elephant riding parks, circus shows, the logging industry, street begging, or other tourist attractions where they have been exploited and neglected.
Elephant welfare is our top priority. As such we follow strict guidelines for nutrition, husbandry, and vet care, guided by international standards.
All our elephant activities in Phuket revolve around observation and education, allowing our animals to live as nature intended.
By providing conservation through tourism, we can give captive Thai elephants a better home and future.
We strive to build a natural environment with no single-use plastic and a high emphasis on sustainable living, reducing waste, and looking after our planet and animals in the best way possible.
To us, elephant conservation and environmental conservation go hand in hand. They are both parts of the same effort as elephants can’t thrive if humans destroy their habitats and the environment as a whole.
This is why we weave environmental conservation into everything we do. While this results in dozens of environmentally friendly policies and behaviours, perhaps the most interesting is our Elephant Dung Recycling Centre.
At Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve, we invite visitors to come and learn about our beautiful gentle giants and observe them in our stunning nature reserve.
We guarantee a visit that will leave you educated and inspired with a huge sense of appreciation and gratitude for the elephants, one of the most intelligent, graceful, and largest land animals on Earth.
Join us today and experience what many say is “an experience of a lifetime that they will never forget!”
Do you have any pre-visit questions for us? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for the answers you need.
See you soon!
