Thailand Elephant Conservation

Hello,
My name is Sam and I am a student currently
studying in the UK. During the summer of 2014 I had the choice between going on
holiday with friends and family to relax after exams, or the once in a life
time opportunity to go to Thailand with a company called Frontier and attempt
to make a difference within a less developed country. I will be staying within
a small village north of Bangkok and working within a sanctuary which strives
to rehabilitate Elephants which have abused in Thailand’s popular circuses and
tourist attractions, such as the popular "elephant massage" seen on
most Thai beaches. In which the elephants are forced to perform relentless tasks
whilst being dehydrated, mal nourished and continuously physically abused and
held captive. Thai elephants are also at risk of becoming extinct due to
poaching for their ivory tusks which are then sold on the black market to be
made into furniture and jewellery and also the large amount of deforestation
which is occurring within Thailand’s vast rainforests and jungles threatens to
wipe the elephant population out entirely due to the elephants losing their
natural habitats and being forced into live amongst humans in the towns and
cities. In Thailand the law only protects elephants which are wild thus leaving many elephants which have been domesticated , at risk of abuse from their owners and more and more baby elephants are being taken from the wild in Burma and forced to live within large Thai cities where they will lead a life of abuse and slavery. Whilst I am in the sanctuary I will be helping with tasks such as
cleaning the elephants enclosures and bathing them, making sure they are fed
and also helping with regular checkups to make sure the elephants are healthy
and also providing stimulation activities for the elephants to enjoy.

Because the sanctuary is located so closely
to local villages and towns I will also be searching for the opportunity to
help out with teaching local children how to speak English whilst maybe
learning Thai from them. I am also hoping to help the children better
themselves and their lives by teaching them basic skills such as reading,
writing and mathematics in order for them to be able to create a brighter
future for the poor people of Thailand. Schools within these villages are often
run by locals whom don’t receive funding from the government for equipment and
the children’s parents have to work hard in their everyday lives just to send
their children to school in the hope that their children will lead a better
more prosperous life.

Any donation no matter how small would
greatly help me to be able to make this trip possible and will help towards flight,
accommodation and the majority of the donation will be given to the sanctuary and supplying the local schools and
people with schooling equipment which they may not have.

Thank you

Sam