Of course, whenever anyone decides to visit Asia, an absolute must-see will be the elephant Sanctuary. These amazing creatures have been awing us for centuries with their elegance, their gentleness, and their intelligence. However, whenever you decide you want to see these beautiful animals for yourself in their natural environment, you need to make sure you’re choosing a place that treats them with the care and respect that they deserve.
The popularity of elephants in Thailand has made it much more common for people to try and take advantage of the situation, often leading to dirty and unacceptable living conditions for the elephants or even mistreatment on the part of the handler. Here are three tips you can keep in mind that will help ensure you’re visiting a quality and considerate sanctuary that you can trust that really takes great care of the animals you see today.
Dedication to the Elephant’s Welfare
One of the first things you’ll want to look at when it comes time to visit these incredible creatures will be the dedication on the part of the team to the wellbeing and health of all the animals in the sanctuary. This will mean that they are given proper baths, proper space to roam, treated with respect and consideration, and definitely provided with the necessary healthcare whenever the need might arise.
Many elephants have died in captivity simply because their handlers waited for days before any medical treatment was sought ought. Make sure you aren’t supporting this kind of tourism by checking that your establishment treats all its animals with care, especially the ones that aren’t brought out to see you.
Honest About Profits
Another important factor that will help you discover whether or not you’ve found the best elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai will be the openness of the team regarding profits and where the money from this experience will ultimately go. When you find a team that’s willing and able to explain exactly how they allocate their funds and the types of projects they are trying to get behind, you can feel confident that this is an establishment that was set up for the right reasons and that your money will actually go towards the survival and wellbeing of these incredible creatures, rather than just lining the pockets of the organization heads.
Accredited and Supported
If you’re looking to make sure that you’ve found a sanctuary that you can really trust to care for their animals, then it’s important that you take the time to look for accreditations and support from larger world organizations such as Travelife, DBD, and more. The more support you can find from these sustainability and protection organizations, the more confident you can be in engaging with the animals.
There’s no doubt that being able to visit an elephant up close and personal will be life-changing. However, making sure you’re stopping at a quality and respected business will be incredibly important. Make sure you keep these tips in mind so that you can find an elephant sanctuary that you can really trust today.
