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185:, with Chailert, who owned some of the land and leased some from the Thai government. At that time the park featured a daily elephant show where elephants performed tricks like balancing on one leg and playing football, and included elephant rides. She maintained a more isolated section up one of the surrounding mountains for especially damaged animals that she called "Elephant Heaven." The park had 34 rescued elephants. Her goal was to eventually end the performances and run it purely as a reserve.
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magazine as one of "Asia's heroes". By 2005 17 of the elephants
Chailert had rescued were adults, and she had also opened a travel agency in Chiang Mai. By this time the park no longer offered performances and had shifted to a business model in which visitors could come help care for the elephants.
170:
Lek
Chailert started working on elephant conservation in 1996. Teak logging, in which many elephants were used, had been banned in Thailand in 1989, and those elephants had been abandoned or sold for use in the tourist industry or for begging in cities. Elephants are also left maimed after poachers
199:
By 2005 the boycott campaign had made
Chailert an embarrassment to the Thai government and had led to death threats and to Friends of the Asian Elephant, a government-funded organization that had done work to improve conditions for elephants, ending its funding for Chailert's work. Chailert was
242:
magazine's Heroes of Asia (2005), one of six Women Heroes of Global
Conservation (2010), and the Responsible Thailand Award for Animal Welfare (2018). In addition to the elephants, Chailert has accommodated over 400 dogs, cats, birds and water buffaloes at the park. She also convinced several
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a report was made to help the care of elephants in the
Elephant Nature Park (to improve foot disease, mahout training and management. Improve of elephants' diet, sanitation, exercise, and stress levels, and disapproved of tourists having direct contact with the elephants.
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Since 2018 the elephants have had less close contact with volunteers and visitors. Elephants bathe themselves with no visitor interaction. This is part of
Elephant Nature Park's desire to offer elephants a chance to live as natural a life as possible.
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an hour from
Kanchanaburri, as an extension of the original park and using the same business model; it opened with five elephants, one of which died in the first year. In 2014 there were 37 elephants at Elephant Nature Park.
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As of 2016, Chailert had rescued a total of 200 distressed elephants since she started in 1996 and there were branch elephant parks in Surin and in
Cambodia, and there were plans to open a fifth park in
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594:
29:
147:, co-founded by Sangduen "Lek" (Thai for "small") Chailert. In 2013, Erawan Elephant Retirement Park opened in western Thailand as an offshoot. By 2016, there were branch parks in
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The parks provide sanctuary for rescued elephants and operate under a business model in which tourists pay to visit and help care for the animals and can stay for extended periods.
181:
By 1998, an organization called Green Tours run by Adam Flinn had founded
Elephant Nature Park, a tourist site and reserve for rescued elephants in a valley about an hour north of
521:
178:; tourism brought in 350 million dollars in 1997 and was the province's biggest source of revenue; the ecotourism plans were controversial with indigenous people there.
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and around that time a documentary about the treatment of elephants in
Thailand featuring Chailert's work was released; in response,
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independent camps to improve the lives of elephants and forbid tourists from riding them through her Saddle Off! outreach program.
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726:"Ms. Lek Chailert, Elephant Nature Park (Chiang Mai), winner of Responsible Thailand Awards 2018, Animal Welfare category"
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For her work, Chailert received recognition and numerous awards, such as the Ford Foundation's Hero of the Planet (2001),
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In 2013 Erawan Elephant Retirement Park opened in western Thailand on 50 hectares of land beside the
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Michael Gebicki for The Sun-Herald (Sydney, Australia). (Nov. 29, 1998). Elephant lady's jumbo job
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In 2010 the park had 33 elephants and visitors could come for up to 28 days, paying $ 400/week.
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143:, Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) from
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Lancaster, Danielle (April 25, 2010). "Elephant walk Thailand Jumbo-sized adventure".
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230:. That work is coordinated by the Save Elephant Foundation, run by the same people.
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In the late 1990s the government of Thailand was working to promote ecotourism in
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614:"Elephant in Thailand Falls Asleep 'Every Time' Caretaker Sings Her a Lullaby"
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697:"Elephants Are Tortured and Trafficked to Entertain Tourists in Thailand"
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Volunteer at the Erawan Elephant Retirement Park is Southwestern Thailand
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546:"Asia's Heroes 2005, Sangduen 'Lek' Chailert Thailand's Elephant Woman"
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Female elephant (Dok Ngern, 15 years with newly born Dok Mai) (23 days)
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159:. By then, the work was coordinated by the Save Elephant Foundation.
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Margie Maccoll for the Herald Sun (Melbourne). September 25, 2014
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called for a boycott of Thailand until conditions there changed.
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Navaan, born at the park October 2012, with founder Lek Chailert
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Douglas H. Chadwick for National Geographic. October 1, 2005.
839:"Visit & Volunteer – Elephant Nature Park Booking System"
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Jennifer Hile for National Geographic Today October 16, 2002
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Development Thailand: Locals Say Ecotourism is Destruction
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810:"The sanctuary saving Thailand's disappearing elephants"
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Activists Denounce Thailand's Elephant "Crushing" Ritual
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By 2002 Chailert was well known for campaigning against
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Carol Buckley, Elephant Aid International. May 1, 2011
436:"Reporter's Notebook: Elephants Heal at Thai "Heaven""
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Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm
333:"At one with the elephants at a Thailand sanctuary"
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155:, and there were plans to open a fifth park in
1145:Animal welfare organizations based in Thailand
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272:Feeding an elephant in a tailor-made shelter
755:"Home – Dog Project – Elephant Nature Park"
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816:. Video by Amanda Sealy and Beau Molloy.
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331:Cunningham, Lillian (November 11, 2013).
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780:"Sharing Space at Elephant Nature Park"
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135:is a sanctuary and rescue centre for
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387:"Meet Thailand's elephant whisperer"
1020:Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo
902:, documentary film by Jennifer Hile
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13:
1010:Samphran Elephant Ground & Zoo
434:Hile, Jennifer (17 October 2002).
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375:
14:
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466:Inter Press Service 9 Nov. 1998.
397:from the original on 10 June 2016
359:"Day Nine – Elephant Nature Park"
16:Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand
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284:Feeding an elephant in the open
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1155:Tourist attractions in Thailand
1150:Nature conservation in Thailand
860:
849:from the original on 2019-02-09
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820:from the original on 2019-02-09
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790:from the original on 2020-07-27
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761:from the original on 2019-02-09
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736:from the original on 2019-02-09
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707:from the original on 2019-02-10
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678:from the original on 2019-02-09
644:from the original on 2016-06-10
630:
606:
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537:
868:Letter to Elephant Nature Park
612:Jacobo, Julia (May 24, 2016).
544:Zabriskie, Phil (2005-10-03).
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204:issue of the Asian edition of
200:listed in a special 2005 post-
1:
808:Springer, Kate (2017-11-21).
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1070:Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World
234:Recognition and improvements
7:
534:35.9 (Nov/Dec 2005): 48–54.
10:
1176:
1102:Sriracha Tigerzoo Chonburi
843:www.elephantnaturepark.org
638:"Save Elephant Foundation"
348:. via The Washington Post.
311:Mahout with young elephant
258:
248:Elephant Aid International
246:In 2011, with the help of
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581:. (Melbourne, Australia).
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35:
26:
21:
1075:Underwater World Pattaya
1000:Safari Park Kanchanaburi
672:Save Elephant Foundation
1080:Chiang Mai Zoo Aquarium
960:Chiang Mai Night Safari
490:Thailand's urban Giants
96:250 acres (100 ha)
519:The Elephant Whisperer
129:
121:
1160:Elephants in Thailand
1055:Bueng Chawak Aquarium
990:Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo
127:
119:
58:19.21500°N 98.86056°E
1140:Elephant sanctuaries
970:Elephant Nature Park
784:Elephant Nature Park
558:on December 11, 2005
133:Elephant Nature Park
22:Elephant Nature Park
1028:(closed until 2025)
975:Khao Kheow Open Zoo
906:National Geographic
446:on October 21, 2002
440:National Geographic
372:. January 26, 2013.
299:feeding an elephant
176:Chiang Mai Province
54: /
1121:Animals portal
873:2014-02-07 at the
619:2020-11-08 at the
600:2016-06-01 at the
524:2016-08-21 at the
473:2016-08-08 at the
364:2016-10-11 at the
338:2016-08-08 at the
171:take their ivory.
141:Mae Taeng District
130:
122:
106:elephantnaturepark
63:19.21500; 98.86056
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578:Sunday Herald Sun
345:The Oakland Press
190:elephant crushing
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1050:Bangkok Aquarium
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908:. October 2005.
900:Vanishing Giants
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891:Official website
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554:. Archived from
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786:. 2014-04-01.
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1089:Defunct zoos
1015:Songkhla Zoo
1005:Safari World
969:
899:
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851:. Retrieved
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822:. Retrieved
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792:. Retrieved
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738:. Retrieved
730:TAT Newsroom
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556:the original
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448:. Retrieved
444:the original
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399:. Retrieved
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370:Thai-Di-ary
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357:Kane, John.
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980:Lopburi Zoo
74:Date opened
61: /
1134:Categories
1026:Phuket Zoo
853:2019-02-06
824:2019-02-06
814:CNN Travel
794:2019-02-06
765:2019-02-06
740:2019-02-06
711:2019-02-06
682:2019-02-06
648:2016-06-15
562:2006-02-06
450:2006-02-06
317:References
219:River Kwai
183:Chiang Mai
88:, Thailand
86:Chiang Mai
49:98°51′38″E
46:19°12′54″N
1096:Dusit Zoo
1037:Aquariums
137:elephants
93:Land area
995:Pata Zoo
944:Thailand
942:Zoos of
871:Archived
847:Archived
818:Archived
788:Archived
759:Archived
734:Archived
705:Archived
676:Archived
642:Archived
625:ABC News
617:Archived
598:Archived
522:Archived
471:Archived
395:Archived
391:CBS News
362:Archived
336:Archived
153:Cambodia
82:Location
401:10 June
259:Gallery
202:tsunami
166:History
151:and in
101:Website
297:Mahout
228:Phuket
157:Phuket
149:Surin
77:1990s
952:Zoos
904:via
701:Time
551:Time
403:2016
240:Time
207:Time
194:PETA
108:.org
139:in
1136::
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