Elephant Nature Park has been recognised as the Wildlife Sanctuary of the Year at the Prestige Awards ceremony held at Hazlewood Castle, near Leeds, UK. The award celebrates excellence and dedication in our field

Lek Chailert started with a humble goal: rescue one abused bull. Now, she’s the head of an international non-profit with a mission to end the mistreatment of elephants.

Elephant Nature Park is one of the best-known elephant conservation projects in Thailand. Set on the edge of a rainforest near Chiang Mai, in Thailand’s north, the sanctuary was founded by award-winning conservationist Lek Chailert in 1995. More than 75 elephants roam free here and each has a heart-breaking story: many have been saved from torturous camps that exploit elephants for tourism or logging purposes or other abusive situations.

En marge de son déplacement à Bangkok pour le sommet de l’APEC, Emmanuel Macron a remis  les insignes de chevalier de la Légion d’honneur à Mme Saengduean Chailert.

Judges’ comments: Apart from all the usual elephant activities they also do rainforest restoration, have educational programmes, they set up Eleflix during the pandemic, they have 4 vets on site, they have their Elephant Food Bank, they have their Farm to Herd initiative, and they set up their Jumbo Express mobile clinic. A clear winner!

This year’s World Elephant Day on 12 August marked the first anniversary of 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts Thailand’s CSR partnership with the Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in Chiang Mai. This long-term collaboration raises much-needed funds and global awareness for elephant conservation and reforestation in Thailand.

Lek Saengduean Chailert, founder and director of Elephant Nature Park, stands with two rescued elephants at her sanctuary. It has many supporters, especially on social media, so during the pandemic she and her team have been fundraising to provide food and resources to dozens of camps around Thailand.

Conservationist Sangdeaun Lek Chailert, known simply as Lek, who has been dubbed the “elephant whisperer” because of her ability to connect with the animals, has made it her life’s work to protect and save the species in her home country of Thailand.

Thailand’s work elephants often lead a miserable existence. Animal welfare activist Lek Chailert has set up a sanctuary for rescued elephants in northern Thailand. There the animals can enjoy their retirement.

After spending a life-changing week volunteering at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand with my family, helping to care for the rescued animals who had endured unthinkable abuse at the hands of humans, I was very concerned about Disney’s new, live-action remake of Dumbo.

Faa Mai is an elephant full of love for one particular person — she’s obsessed with Lek Chailert, founder of Elephant Nature Park (ENP), the Thailand elephant sanctuary that Faa Mai calls home. Sometimes that love makes her a bit overprotective. In a recent Facebook post, Chailert describes an incident in which Faa Mai wouldn’t let her out of her sight — or her grasp.

Beyond the amazing food, glittering temples and famously friendly culture, the country has yet another precious commodity: its elephants. And at Elephant Nature Park, an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in the Chiang Mai countryside, you’ll be surrounded by them.

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Beyond the mountainous landscapes and lush jungles of Northern Thailand lies a haven for the gentlest of creatures. “Many of them arrive here like a zombie, some of them arrive here and they [don’t] know they are elephants, they stand still … they walk in a circle,” said Sangduen “Lek” Chailert, founder of the Elephant Nature Park.