Save and Rescue an Asian Elephant Today

Dear Supporters, 

Throughout the year we buy additional food for our elephants to assist with health checks and also as a little treat for them every couple of weeks! We currently buy our produce from markets in Chiang Mai, but we would like to become as self-sufficient as possible and grow our own banana trees to feed the elephants.

We are fortunate enough that our base is surrounded by unused land, so volunteers, interns and staff have spent the last few months clearing the overgrown weed filled area. After the area was cleared, they dug 16 deep holes for the young banana trees – not an easy feat in the middle of the dry season! With the help of villagers, we were able to source banana trees surrounding the village, which the interns then had to dig out, cut the top and replant to help with regrowth. 

The interns are now watering the banana trees daily to ensure they have enough water as the ground is very dry at this time of the year.

It is our hope that the village will be able to become self-sufficient with regards to being able to supply their elephants with a variety of foods. With the intern project, we hope to inspire the villagers to also grow other crops that they’d also be able to supply to the elephants, such as pumpkins or elephant grass. This would also help to achieve two of our project aims; ‘to increase and promote ethical elephant tourism and ‘to create a viable self-sustaining eco-tourism programme for the village.’

As we continue to return elephants to the forest we need to ensure there is enough food for them throughout all of the seasons and having villagers grow alternative crops will help us guarantee that they’ll have variety and plenty of foods. Having the villagers grow these crops will give them an alternative income than just growing rice and corn.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped to clear the area, dug the holes and replanted the trees!

With Gratitude, 
GVI Thailand

Dear Supporters,

On behalf of our partners, volunteers, staff and beautiful elephants we want to say a massive Thank You for your support in 2016! As 2016 draws to a close, we’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on our achievements and successes with you.

It’s been a very exciting year here at Chiang Mai as we have managed to bring back 3 elephants to the forest who were previously working in unethical tourist camps. Gureepo, our 8-year-old female, joined us in February and previously worked in a camp performing tricks for tourists. Dee Dee, our beautiful bull elephant, joined the GVI family in March and, like Gureepo, used to performed tricks for tourists. Gureepo and Dee Dee spend a lot of time together in the forest and having never previously lived in the forest before, are continuing to learn from the older elephants and their dedicated mahouts which food is the most delicious!

In October we also welcomed another male elephant to the GVI herd. Charlie is a 9-year-old male who previously spent his days painting in a camp near Chiang Mai, but can now spend his days in the forest where he should be! Charlie is grandson to Thong Dee, who has been with the GVI herd since its start in 2010.

Unfortunately, earlier in the year Dee Dee became unwell but thanks to the meticulous care of his mahout we were able to get him to the elephant hospital quickly to ensure he wasn’t seriously ill. Veterinary care for elephants is free for elephants in Thailand, however, it is very expensive to transport elephants to the hospital and it’s difficult for the owners and mahouts to find this money at such short notice. Thankfully, due to the GVI Trust donors, we are able to pay for this transport immediately and ensure that the GVI elephants can be taken to the hospital as soon as possible.

In November, staff and volunteers also took part in a GVI Trust Challenge! We spent 2 nights in the forest practising basic survival skills. Volunteers had a series of challenges, for example practising basic survival skills and making their own shelters and although it was very cold, everybody did a great job to raise money for our elephants!

It’s fantastic to see how your donations are able to help support more elephants to live in the forest where they belong and also how much of an impact this has on the elephants and their mahouts!

Thank you for your donations and for supporting these beautiful elephants and their mahouts in 201!

We wish you a happy and prosperous 2017.

With Gratitude,

GVI Thailand.