Elephant Riding In Chiangmai

Maetang Elephant Park and Elephant Clinic

About the Chailert Family

The Chailert Family are well known in Thailand for their commitment to helping the Asian Elephant.

Maetaeng Elephant Park has become the Chailert’s life, the elephants and the mahouts, their families. Not only are they committed to the protection of Asian Elephants but also the welfare of their handlers and their families.

“It started in July 1996 when we opened the doors to Maetaeng Elephant Park and offered visitors elephant riding and bamboo rafting, oxcart riding and a great buffet lunch. Back then it was just a simple welcome sign, a few members of staff and even fewer elephants. Little did we know when we embarked on this journey just what a rewarding and uplifting experience it would be”

“To say it changed our lives completely is an understatement”

“Over the years the herd has increased to 70 magnificent elephants and the Park employ’s people from the local villages, both Thai’s and the indigenous Karen hill tribe people. Maetaeng Elephant Park remains as committed to their extended family as much today as they did way back then”, making Maetaeng Elephant Park a true community enterprise.

So committed is the Park to Elephant Welfare that in 2009 a fund was started to raise funds for the Helping Elephants Help Themselves project. (Now the Elephants Helping Elephants clinic)

A FREE clinic offering medical care to any sick or injured elephant in the Maetaman Valley and in March 2011 Maetaeng Elephant Park achieved the dream of having a full time resident vet.

Maetaeng Elephant Park operates a ZERO TOLERANCE policy towards cruelty to animals. If you witness any abuse towards the elephants, or any of our animals in the park, please report this to the management

MAE TAENG ELEPHANT PARK MISSION STATEMENT

We believe our first responsibility is to the elephants, mahouts and families, to visitors and friends and all others who use our products and services. The protection of Asian elephants by attracting the elephants away from illegal logging by providing alternative work including elephant riding. Providing food and vitamins to supplement their normal diet. Providing medical care for sick or injured elephants in our new elephant clinic. Providing a safe environment for the birth and after care of infants.

In meeting their needs, everything we do must be of the highest quality. We must constantly strive to reduce our costs in order to maintan reasonable prices. Customers’ orders must be serviced promptly and accurately. Our suppliers and distributors must have an opportunity to make a fair profit

We are responsible to our employes, the men and women who work with us throughout the park. Everyone must be considered as an individual. We must respect their dignity and recognize their merit. They must have a sense of security in their jobs. Compensation must be fair and adequate, and working conditions clean, orderly and safe. We must be mindful of ways to help our employees’ fulfil their family responsibilities. employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints. There must be equal opportunity for employment, development and advancement for those qualified. We must provide competent management, and their actions must be just and ethical.

We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well. We must be good citizens – support good works and charities and bear our fair share of taxes. We must encourage civic improvements and better health and education. We must maintain in good order the property we are priviledged to use, to protecting the environment and natural resources.

We are committed to improving the local environment in our community by fostering partnerships with area businesses, community leaders and our neighbours to create a cleaner, safer place to live and work.

Our final responsibilty is to the environment. We must experiment with new ideas. Research must be carried on, innovative programmes developed amd mistakes paid for. New equipment must be purchased, new facilities provided and new products launched. Reserves must be created to provide for adverse times. When we operate according to these principles, we will maintain a sustained environment. We must work with local villagers, government agencies, NGO’s and other entities to protect villagers and their property and homes, develop alternative income sources compatible with preserving elephant habitat.

Ken, Nee and the Chailert Family, hope you enjoy your visit

ELEPHANT TRAINING AT
MAETAENG ELEPHANT PARK

Because of the elephant’s incredible capacity for knowledge, understanding, learning and insight, they have proved to be most useful to human beings. It has been supposed that India was the first place in which elephants started to become trained for domestic purposes. However, it is well understood that, while they may give in to training, an elephant is never truly tame. A male elephant in musk is particularly aggressive and difficult to control. For this reason, most elephants that were being trained for domestic use were female. The one exception is that of war; females will run from males, so only males could be used in this environment.

Another ability that indicates superior intellect is elephants’ ability to play and display a sense of humour. Games include throwing a stick at a certain object, passing an object from one animal to another, or squirting water out of the trunk in a fountain. Elephants in zoos have even been seen stealing onlookers’ caps and hiding them in playful teasing.

For whatever purposes elephants are being domesticated, it is important that they are trained from young. When dealing with creatures that possess as high a level of understanding and insight, elephants have proved to be most industrious and helpful to mankind. It is imperative that, in recognising their value and potential, we take the utmost care to protect this most precious resource.¹ (with acknowledgment to www.andrews-elephants.com)

Here at Maetaeng Elephant Park our young elephants are trained in a variety of skills; painting, football and playing musical instruments.  Our method of training does not involve cruelty of any description!  Nor does it involve the “carrot and stick” method, otherwise known as Paa Jaan.

The young elephant normally commences training at the age of 3 years.  The method used is by “reward”.  If the elephant does what she is instructed to do correctly, she is rewarded, usually with a few bananas, her favourite food!  If she gets it wrong, she is still rewarded but not as generously as for a correct action.  Then the instruction is repeated (sometimes the mahout will demonstrate the action required, encouraging the elephant to mimic the action).

Our young elephants are taught to paint by their mahouts, normally from the age of three to four years old.  The elephant must show an interest in learning to paint and this is usually recognised by the mahout when, as in the instance of Charlie, he watched other elephants painting and tried to join in!

A painting by Charlie.  A 4 year old male elephant who has been painting for just eight months