Plan a dream trip to help elephants in Africa or Asia. You can join rewarding volunteer projects helping elephants in countries like Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Laos, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania.
Best Elephant Conservation Programs
Volunteer with Elephants in Thailand
• 2-4 weeks
• Price from £1,245
Big 5 African Wildlife & Conservation
• 2-12 weeks
• Price from £1,395
Elephant Conservation in Namibia
• 2-12 weeks
• Price from £1,245
Elephant & Wildlife Conservation Sri Lanka
• 1-12 weeks
• Price from £1180
How to Help Elephants
If you are interested in working with animals, some of the most rewarding experiences can be found with elephants. There is the option to see elephants in the wild on a safari, donate to wildlife organisations or actually get hands on by applying to help in person.
You can find volunteer programs, internships and paid jobs with elephants all around the world but we recommend travelling to a country where they are native to. Popular destinations to apply include Thailand and South Africa.
Wildlife sanctuaries and conservation organisations hire staff all year round to work with this majestic animals. No matter if you are planning a gap year or career break, or just want to do something meaningful, you can join every month with short and long term projects available.
Some companies charge a fee which generally includes transfers, accommodation, training, meals and activities. Every project is different so research all before applying.
Why You Should Not Ride Elephants
We don’t think people quite understand the difference between an Elephant Riding Camp and an Elephant Sanctuary. But we hope to teach you why you should not visit an elephant riding camp, and what you should be supporting instead.
What is an elephant riding camp? An elephant riding camp is where places will take babies away from their parents from birth and start training them when they are less than one years old. The very basic training is teaching them how to go forward, backwards, left and right. How they do this is by taking a poker stick and poking it into their skull, breaking skin every single time.
The baby elephant will constantly cry out in pain, much the same as a baby human would. They have to take it away from its parents because if they didn’t, the parents would have no problem defending their young and going after the human torturer.
Riding camps sometimes use a noose around the baby’s neck (a rope that automatically tightens when you fall). This is so that when the purposefully under feed baby gets tired and falls down or lays down it will be forced to stand back up. Teaching it to only be done when the trainer says she is done.
This is just the BASIC training. Can you imagine what it would take to get them to do more tricks?
This is why Elephant sanctuaries have started to become a bigger thing. They are companies that rescue elephants from places like this and give them a safe life full of grazing, bathing, and playing with other elephants in a large piece of land where they are also safe from predators they may have lost the instinct to defend against.
Volunteer at an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand
Visiting an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand is one of the most expensive, but most rewarding experiences you can do. There are lots of options in places like Chiang Mai for sanctuaries to visit. As long as you make sure it’s a Sanctuary, or National Park, and NOT a riding camp you should be okay with any option.
You can choose taster day visits or book elephant conservation programs through our website which are absolutely amazing.
When you arrive a guide will gave you a background on each elephant, where they were rescues from, what had happened to them, their names, etc. You will be responsible for collecting food, feeding elephants treats, and just walking around hanging out with them.
During the day you might walk with elephants towards water, and help them bathe. Basically, splashed around in some water with them, scrubbing some mud on their skin and washing them off with a bucket or hose. This is such a cool experience.
The elephants usually live on a massive plot of land and you’ll learn a lot about conservation efforts and the work being done to help them. Volunteering at an Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai will be hands down one of the best afternoons you’ll spend, and we would highly recommend it to anyone!
Paid Jobs with Elephants
If you would like a paying job at an elephant sanctuary or working with them, you will usually need to have experience in a skilled area like veterinary or be employed as a tour guide.
