Elephant Retirement Park, Phuket

October 22, 2018

We had a truly amazing experience today at the Elephant Retirement Park, in Phuket, Thailand today. This place has only been open for about a year, and is a safe and ethical place for elephants to be elephants. It is a haven for retired and rescued elephants in a natural, sustainable environment free from profiteering and neglect. This sanctuary has eight elephants, and one is expecting next December. We participated in the half day elephant care program, and chose the afternoon from 1-4:00 PM. We were picked up and delivered back to our condo, fed a yummy meal and also received a tank top. We began the time with a lunch of Pad Thai, (which Si taught us how to make, with lots of little volunteers), rice, fruit, and water or coffee. The program included an introduction to their elephants and to the experience we would have. Next, we prepared bananas and sugarcane to feed the elephants. We were able to feed and to interact with the marvelous elephants, old and new. Then, we watched the mom and baby take their own mud baths and get hosed down. The really fun part came when we were able to get into the mud with them and cover the elephants and ourselves in mud! Fun in the mud, and then we rinsed them with brushes and buckets. We had showers after and finished up. I am so happy that we got to experience these wonderful, funny and majestic creatures. I feel blessed to have felt them and to have cared for them and to play with them! Wow, if you have a chance to visit, this is the place to see!-Mona

Today was an awesome day. I loved every single second of it! We went to The Elephant Retirement Park a home to adorable and sweet elephants. What I like about this sanctuary is that it does not allow riding the elephants and the elephants aren't in chains. Riding the elephants is not okay because it hurts their backs, and elephants need to be able to do their own thing because they are after all wild animals. Also, the people that do the riding elephant programs they abuse the elephants and keep them in cages not letting the elephants get the exercise they need. Which is why I am so glad we supported this elephant program, because the Elephant Retirement Park lets the elephants roam free and they don't force the elephants to do something they don't want to do. I loved getting to feed the elephants and touch them, I did not really want to do the mud bath, but the elephants made it fun. After the mud bath we got to bath them in water and scrub them clean. It was super fun. Thankfully nobody got hurt or trampled the elephants are very relax and they look happy. The baby elephants are so cute, and the big elephants are too. One of the elephants is pregnant! I definitely want to see a picture when she gives birth. They are well taken care of. I loved going here. -Angelina