Located in Northern Thailand, Elephant Nature Park is a leading elephant rescue and rehabilitation center, established by the esteemed elephant rights advocate, Saengduean Chailert, known as Lek. As the first elephant sanctuary of its kind in Asia, the park has rescued and cared for elephants who were once subjected to cruel practices such as street begging, elephant riding, and circus shows. Many of these elephants have suffered both physical and psychological injuries.
At Elephant Nature Park, our herds include blind, crippled, orphaned, and senior elephants who have been given the opportunity to live freely in natural surroundings, where they are treated with love and respect. Our educational programs aim to raise awareness among visitors about the challenges facing the endangered Asian elephant and the importance of protecting this keystone species.
At Elephant Nature Park, we believe in promoting a harmonious relationship between humans and animals, and our work is founded on the principles of compassion and empathy.
Thank you for considering Elephant Nature Park as a destination for your next visit, and for supporting our mission to protect and care for these magnificent creatures. We look forward to welcoming you to our sanctuary and sharing our love and respect for elephants with you.
Saengduean Lek Chailert’s passion for elephants began at an early age when her grandfather, a traditional healer, was gifted an elephant named Thong Kham, which Lek grew to love and care for deeply.
After witnessing the mistreatment and suffering of many elephants in the tourism industry, Lek began providing medical aid to elephants in remote villages.
In the 1990s, Lek started rescuing injured, neglected, and elderly elephants and established Elephant Nature Park in Northern Thailand in 2003 as a permanent homeland for them.
Today, Elephant Nature Park is home to many elephants who live free from abuse within family herds and are allowed to develop close friendships with one another.
Lek’s work has been recognized internationally, and her efforts have been documented by various media outlets, including National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and CNN. She has received numerous awards and honors for her conservation work, including being honored as one of six Women Heroes of Global Conservation in 2010 by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, personally awarded the Legion d’Honneur award by President Macron in 2022, one of TIME Magazine’s Heroes of Asia in 2005, the Ford Foundation’s Hero of the Planet in 2001, and with the Genesis Award from the Humane Society of the United States in 2003 and 2019.