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For visitors to Thailand, elephants are the epitome
of exotic. We tourists can't help wanting to feed
them, ride them, touch them and photograph them. BUt
for the elephants we meet on the tourist trail, these
encounters aren't quite so enchanting. A life of begging
in urban centres like Bangkok and Pattaya often means
abuse, malnourishment, and health problems from the
noise and pollution. Outside the cities, elephants
are used in tourist-oriented trekking companies, which
can involve more abusive handling and eventual back
problems.
However, tourism isn't the only industry that invites
elephant mistreatment. These animals have traditionally
been involved in rural logging for centuries, but
just as the job is hazardous for people, so too are
elephants prone to injury, illness, and disfigurement
or crippling from landmines. Changes in the industry
can leave elephants unemployed. When owners aren't
capable of covering the animals' hefty food expenses,
the elephant is left with few options.
This is where the Elephant Nature Park comes in.
Their elephants, disabled, orphaned, blind, or simply
too old to work, are purchased from private owners
and brought to the park. Here, they are given medical
treatment, healthy food, and spacious grounds where
they can re-acclimatize to their natural habitat,
and the company of other elephants.
The park's founder, Sangduen Chailert (Lek), opened
the park in 1996 near her home village in the Chiang
Mai province. Along with a passionate love of animals,
Lek's park has a mandate of supporting local village
economies, and does business exclusively with local
farmers and tradespeople. She has a core team of local
workers caring for the elephants, but also relies
on volunteers to help keep
the park running. In recent years, her park has
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