Tags
adventure, animal welfare, Bangkok, black market, elephants, primates, rescue, Thailand, travel, volunteer, Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
Written on Tuesday the 4th of June
It was a long drive from Bangkok. My driver picked me up at 10:00am from my hotel, and I said goodbye to deliciously air-conditioned rooms and a soft bed. I was filled with apprehension – would there be people my own age at my new temporary home? English speakers? Would I be lonely? Would I be comfortable there? Would I miss home? I am always a little anxious when I don’t know what to expect – i tried not to think about it as we drove along for hours, as views of tall apartments turned to jungled paddocks and fields.
Eventually a sign – “Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand”. The vehicle took us up a dusty winding forested path, past Spirit Houses and Temple grounds. Local Thais sped past us on scooters. Then, a tall metal fence threaded with educational signage indicated that we were finally here.
I was nervous that first afternoon. I had been astounded to see dozens of volunteers – Canadian, French, Australian, American, British – all confident and at home. Apparently there are about 40 of us of us – it’s a big group. It was awesome knowing i wouldn’t run out of people to chat to.
WFFT is massive. Along with the elephants there is a wildlife section full of primates, bears, cats, birds, reptiles, an otter, a horse, goats and I’m sure I’m missing some. It’s a fantastically huge set-up – there is an Isolation Ward, a hospital centre, and a massive array of different enclosures. As with any rescue centre, funds are limited. I want to do a fundraiser to get some more enrichment in for the elephants and primates – at the moment it’s limited, and more and more animals are being brought in – not one is turned down. All animals are rescues – from the pet trade, the black market, street entertainment, etc. many of them, because of their lives so far, have disorders – mental, behavioural, or physical. If animals from communities can be housed together, they will be. Some, however, being raised in captivity, just don’t understand others of their species and could never appropriately survive in a group. It is truly sad. Right now the gibbons are singing their calling songs – but they should be out there in the wild living freely. Don’t support the exotic pet trade. No matter how cute or impressive an animal is, by buying into the mindset of keeping wild animals as pets you are supporting the capture of wild animals. Cute baby monkeys have had their whole families slaughtered. As long as people support this it won’t stop.
After seeing the WFFT I’m definitely less certain about Kanchanaburi’s Tiger Temple. A woman who has been working here for eight years on-and-off told me the animals at the Tiger Temple are most definitely drugged under the guise of medication being labelled as ‘vitamins’. I’d like to believe the staff at the Tiger Temple – the ones I spoke to truly were passionate, but I can’t help but view the daily hordes of tourists that handle the tigers as a form of exploitation. I understand that’s how they make their money, but surely there are different ways – a more hands-off approach. What is the point of breeding animals if you aren’t going to release them eventually and instead keep them in this life of service…?
I’m into my second day at WFFT. It’s incredible here. They have done an amazing job for a centre that only began 12 years ago. I haven’t seen the entirety of the elephant enclosures; they are huge and include jungle, swamplands, mud wallows, gazebo shelters, and more. There are currently seven elephants at the centre. Four live in pairs, the rest are solitary (but are able to see or even touch each other through wide rope and wire barriers) due to the fact that they’ve never lived with other elephants and most are well into their 40s or 50s.
Alongside the volunteers are permanent staff and the mahouts. Some elephants you can’t go near without a mahout present. You can tell the mahouts that truly care about their animals, while some are just here because they get paid. Volunteers help ensure each animal receives special attention throughout the day. I’m already starting to see the different personalities of the animals. The one bull elephant at the sanctuary – Khan Kluey (8 years old) – is feisty towards humans, but loves to swim. Three times a day we put fruit around his large lake – he swims through it to gather them all, and if they sink he will actually dive down to retrieve them. He rolls, splashes, and covers himself in muddy water.
Khan Kluey was a dancing street performer. He still dances whenever people are near; it is his way of begging for food unfortunately his behaviour is constantly reinforced because he is always fed. But when he swims and explores his enclosure for goodies, it’s so great to see him do things that an elephant should do. At the moment the sanctuary director is in Australia fundraising to purchase more land for Khan Kluey – they want him to have a gigantic enclosure through which he can roam.
Back to work for me! I will update when I can.
Sam.
Alisha said:
Hello I love your blog on the elephant sanctuary, was just wondering was it globalteer you book through? I’ve read some places that its better to book through the actual WFFT website? Do you know if this is for the same place as I am assuming the sanctuary globalteer advertise on their website is the same one as on the WFFT website? I would really appreciate your advise?
autumnshire said:
Hi Alisha,
Thank you for getting in touch :-) I did this through Globalteer, but it is cheaper if you go straight through WFFT themselves and their website will hold more up-to-date information. Bekka is the volunteer organiser and she will be in touch if you give them an email. Their website is http://www.wfft.org/ and email is volunteer@wfft.org – let me know how you get on!
Thanks,
Sam :-)
Alisha said:
Thank you so much for your advice… Ive been looking into this all day, its hard to know what the truth is on the Internet sometimes! I read a bad review about the sanctuary but then I came across your blog and it gave the complete opposite impression, yours seems like a more truthful account… So it is true you get to walk places with the elephants? as some people have said this doesnt happen and also do you get to swim with/bathe them? Also what were the rooms like, someone said there was mice in them? Sorry to ask so many questions it just gets me so excited the thought of going. I had my application accepted by globalteer so I may just stick with them but il check out the wfft website first for prices etc and maybe drop them an email! Thankyou!!
autumnshire said:
No problem Alisha :-) Yes, you get to walk with the elephants usually daily. Swimming with them doesn’t often happen because the local farmers do not like the elephants using the lake water – the elephants have their own wallows and pools but it is not too safe to go swimming with most of them. You do, however, shower the elephants 3-4 times a day: this involves rinsing them down with a hose, scrubbing them all over with a giant scrubbing brush, and hosing them off again. It is a LOT of fun :-)
I will be completely honest with you: accommodation is VERY basic. You will need plenty of bug spray. There is no warm water for showers, there are often creepy crawlies in either the bunk rooms or the bathrooms, and the toilets do not flush (so you have to pour a bucket of water in to flush them). Not very glamorous living, but you do get used to it. I had never been camping before in my life, and the accommodation was definitely different to what I was used to (especially the visiting insects!) but I still got used to it pretty quickly :-) And of course, working with the elephants is so worth it. There is a really nice, relaxing spa you can go to on your day off, and some volunteers even go and stay in motels in Hua Hin or Cha’Am once a week for a break. So there are options :-) How long are you thinking of going for, and when?
Thanks,
Sam
Alisha said:
Ahhh I see wow still sounds amazing to me just to even walk somewhere with an elephant, I understand more about the swimming with them now… On the bad review they didn’t explain any of this, washing them sounds so much fun and like a great part of caring for the elephants, I would loooove that. I don’t think I would mind basic accomodation too much, like you said being with elephants everyday must make it worth it! I’m glad you said you got used to it all! I’m not that great with bugs, but I travelled Australia last year and met some monsters out there so I should be okay just a little bit freaked out at first haha.. The spa sounds lovely, would be nice to explore the towns too. I’m thinking of going around the beginning of September for 12 weeks, does that sound too long? how long did you go for? Also what were the other volunteers like when you went over?
autumnshire said:
Cor blimey, 12 weeks is a long time!! They’ll love you!
The length of time does depend on what you want out of the experience. In all honesty, I would have enjoyed being there longer but I wouldn’t have learned a lot. I was disappointed because there is not a big focus on volunteer education – I was hoping to learn all about elephants, more of their behaviour and especially all about the plights they face in Asia and their conservation. However, at the time I was present at the sanctuary I really just felt like a human resource. It is up to you to educate yourself (reading books, using the internet, etc.), but because you are being trained by other volunteers there isn’t an opportunity to learn a lot from other people. Of course, you can speak to the western staff and ask them questions, but the few people I knew who had planned on staying for three months ended up leaving early because they just weren’t getting out of it what they wanted. And it doesn’t matter if you are there one week or one year, there is no opportunity to progress with the work – you do the same thing every day. If you are satisfied with this, and just want to go to lend a hand and don’t really mind the self-education thing then that’s great. And some people just adore the place and don’t ever want to leave. So it really is up to you with what you want to get out of it. Do keep in mind that if you decide to leave early you will not get any money back, but you can probably quite easily ask to prolong your stay – especially if you have been there a few weeks already and they see you as a valuable volunteer to train others.
I hope this helps a bit, it’s a little difficult to explain, you’ll probably see what I mean once you get there :-)
Sam x
Alisha said:
Thanks for your honesty about it! I suppose I wasn’t really expecting to be educated about the elephants that much while over there so this isn’t really a big problem for me, but I will definitely research info about elephants and Thailand before I go over. I guess my main aim is to care for the elephants and prepare for doing some hard work! I can’t see myself leaving early but like you said I will see when I get there! So what are the staff members like? Are they knowledgable?
Also how straight forward was it to get picked up from the airport? That makes me a bit apprehensive, don’t want to be lost in Thailand haha
autumnshire said:
Sounds like you have a great mindset about the whole thing, I am certain you will love it! The western staff members who were working at the same time I was involved with the sanctuary have all left bar two, so I can’t really speak for the new ones. Edwin is always around the sanctuary, so if you have anything you really want to know you are more than welcome to speak to him.
The transport thing is easy peasy – however, my flight was 36 hours delayed, so this can really be a problem. I would suggest planning to get to Thailand at least 48 hours before you are due to be picked up – stay in a hotel/motel somewhere and get picked up from your accommodation. It just means you have some leeway if something unexpected happens. I stayed in Bangkok for a week before doing to the sanctuary – I did some exploring and some tours, and familiarised myself with Thailand before I started work, since I had never been to Asia before it was nice to get settled in with the culture first.
:-) Excited for you!!
Alisha said:
Hellooo sorry it’s taken me so long to reply! I’m staying in Grenada at the moment and Internet is limited! I’ve paid my deposit for the trip to Thailand now so no going back haha really looking forward to it!! Sounds like quite a good idea to go earlier to get used to the surroundings, can you remember the hotel you stayed at? So glad you said it was easy to get picked up.. Just had another question for you if that’s okay, did you wear shorts and t shirts etc? And also what about foot wear? I read somewhere that you have to cover your arms and legs which seems like it would be possible in the heat over there!
Hope you are well!
autumnshire said:
Hi Alisha, wow Grenada! Amazing! Sounds like you are already out and about in the world, that’s wonderful :-) Glad you are looking forward to the Thailand trip, you will love it.
I think I stayed in the Century Park Hotel in Bangkok, it was much fancier than a hostel of course, but I wanted to do a bit of relaxing before being super messy for two months :-) There are loads of hotels/hostels in Bangkok though, you won’t have trouble finding one. Just make sure you provide the name and address of your accommodation to WFFT so they know where to pick you up from :-)
When you are working with the ellies you can wear whatever you like – most of us wore short-shorts and tank tops with sandals. Covering your arms and legs is only when you are stepping out to temple grounds and the like – for cultural reasons you do need to cover up, but if you are ever taken to a place that requires extra clothing you will be advised in advance. So don’t worry about being covered up like that while you’re working :) Though as I think I mentioned, long sleeves, long pants and some decent boots (and gloves) are really beneficial for pineapple harvest so you don’t get all torn up by the prickly leaves.
So excited for you!
Sam
Alisha said:
Yeah I’m pretty fortunate with the amount of travelling I have been able to do, had to do a few mind numbing jobs in the UK to save up enough money for it all though! haha. Grenada is such a beautiful place, I am loving the life style, everybody is so relaxed and the beaches are stunning! Ahhh I see, I like your thinking.. Maybe I will do the same, would be nice to spend some time in a hotel and explore first. I feel like I have so much do with booking flights, travel insurance,visa etc! I’m not very organised.. Also a bit concerned about vaccinations? Did you get any? I only have a month in the UK between Grenada and Thailand so hoping thats enough time for the vaccinations to kick in. Ohh yeahhh sorry you did mention about long tops/trousers for the pineapple harvest. So glad I came across your blog, you’ve been so helpful, wfft should employ you haha
autumnshire said:
Do you have a blog or a website Alisha? It would be great to follow your travels. I always find it inspiring to come across another adventurous spirit :-) I’ve never been to Grenada but it sounds beauuuutiful.
Don’t worry about the organisation thing. Do get onto securing a Visa though, you definitely don’t want to leave that too late. Flights and travel insurance are fairly simple to sort, but you’ll know that already :-)
I did have to get a couple of vaccinations, but only because I wasn’t already up to date with certain routine ones like Hepatitis (how I forgot about that I don’t know, oops!!). And the course of malaria tablets I took required me to start them a few weeks before arriving in Thailand, so perhaps once you are back in the UK go see a travel doctor sooner rather than later to have a chat about what sorts of things they would advise.
Thanks for your kind comments :-) :-)
Sibling said:
Sam it sounds fantastic, you have south love for animals that I hope you don’t pop! Hope you’re having the greatest time and living to the full, don’t miss us, we’re super boring! Love you xxx
autumnshire said:
Thank you darling – you are not super boring :) Looking forward to seeing everyone, but not ready to come home just yet :-)
Bemused Backpacker said:
Elephant conservation is something that is close to my own heart, having volunteered myself in both Thailand and Indonesia. You sound like you genuinely care about the elephants welfare and are trying to make a difference, and I sincerely applaud that.
By the way, the Tiger Temple is disgusting, you are right. It has been well known and documented for at least the past ten years (when I first became aware of it) that the tigers are routinely drugged and mistreated. Just research WSPA international and the CWI for two examples. There is a link on my Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bemused-Backpacker/439902059436308 if you are interested.
autumnshire said:
Hi there, thank you so much for taking the time to visit and read this blog. I still don’t know too much about the Tiger Temple but will be researching it more as I am here – I am glad I visited it in person as opposed to simply reading about it. While I do believe there are people who genuinely care about the animals there, I’m not convinced it’s a positive life for the animals. Spending half the day serving tourists isn’t quite what I’d call a “rescue” environment.
Great Facebook page, thankyou for the link :-)
Sam
Bemused Backpacker said:
You are very welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed the facebook page, please feel free to follow it or drop by the website if you have the time, I’d love your input or support. I hope you enjoy one of my recent blogs on BAWA in Bali too. Given you are a vet nurse (I peeked at your gravatar) you would be more than welcome there if you are ever in Bali.
With the Tiger temple I do understand what you mean about seeing it in person, I felt the same when I went (many years ago mind). I was sad and genuinely angry for the Tigers that my initial thoughts and feelings on the place had been confirmed, but I was glad I could base those feelings not just on rumour and hearsay but genuine experience.
I did find that animal conservation in Thailand could be really hit and miss, there were genuine places that really had the animals best interests at heart, and those who cared more about tourism. The problem is it is difficult to tell until you are there sometimes which is which.
As for the people at the temple I think there are two different types there, those who don’t care about the animals and are just doing it for profit and tourism dollars, or those who DO care, but perhaps through ignorance or a lack of education are going about ‘helping’ them in completely the wrong way.
That is why I have always believed in and argued for greater conservation education in Thailand, across Asia as a whole in fact.Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it is the only answer but it is certainly one of the keys to long term change there.
autumnshire said:
I have limited internet connection at the moment but look forward to stopping by your site and blogs more frequently when I am able :)
I must say that after I visited the Tiger Temple I was a little worried about what I would find here at WFFT – thankfully they are completely different (when I can update my blog I will do so with a bit more information!).
I completely agree that education is one of the best ways to get things done *right*. Many of the volunteers I am working with here had no idea about the abuse animals go through, the extremities black market supporters will go to, or even what’s involved with ‘tourist-friendly’ animal ventures. As I understand Thailand is very corrupt, so it is often up to outsiders to educate themselves and decide to make an impact on their own, even in a small way.