A $2.55 elephant encounter in Thailand

Thai elephants have faced a modern economic quandary: unemployment. In 1989, the nation banned commercial logging of teak in its northern forests, and that left as many as 3,000 domesticated elephants, trained to drag logs and goods through mountainous terrain, and their mahouts (trainers) whose livelihood depends on the elephants) jobless.

Of the several elephant training camps that have opened, some are nothing more than dubious sideshows, where the elephants carry tourists up to 12 hours a day and perform potentially injurious stunts. Other governmental facilities are more like wildlife refuges, where visitor interaction is kept to a minimum.

The conservation center strikes a balance. It's operated by the national Forest Industry Organization, the branch of the government responsible for elephants, and is run by energetic co-founder Prasop Tippasert.

"For Thais, especially children, it is important they understand the spirit of these elephants," Tippasert said.

The facility was created, he said, to take care of elephants and their mahouts. "At the beginning, I knew nothing about tourism or marketing," he said.

Tippasert, 52, has definitely learned. Now, for instance, visitors can book multiday stays to train as guest mahouts, living on the grounds and working with one of the animals and its full-time mahout.


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