The team at Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve are proud to announce that we are now members of the Wild Animal Rescue Network in Asia! The Wild Animal Rescue Network (WARN) works across Asia to support the rescue and protection of wildlife, playing a pivotal role in conservation efforts.
PENR is pleased to be a part of their network and contribute to their mission by rescuing elephants from captivity. As one of the leading elephant sanctuaries in Phuket, we are committed to ensuring our practices are ethical and sustainable across the board. Through our Phuket Elephant Tours and Activities, we help not only educate guests but are able to continue our efforts.
Keep reading to learn more about WARN and how PENR upholds animal rights, conservation, and community wellbeing. If you have any questions about our tours, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
What is the Wild Animal Rescue Network?
Since its establishment as a foundation in 2013, WARN has worked to rescue, rehabilitate, and release wild animals back into their natural habitat. Operating across Asia, WARN serves to support rescue centers and conservation initiatives, such as PENR.
As advocates for animal welfare, WARN and PENR are fully aligned in our mission and values. We are two organizations working against a backdrop of conservation crises, as numerous species are endangered by myriad threats. This includes threats from the tourism industry, where most of our elephants at PENR have been rescued from, having been abused and neglected to supply the demand for elephant experiences.
Ethical Tourism and Animal Welfare at PENR
PENR is a leading elephant sanctuary in Phuket, and we are proud to be recognized for our efforts by WARN. The majority of elephants in Thailand are kept captive, largely due to the demand from tourists to interact with elephants by riding them, bathing with them, or having them perform tricks. This has fueled an economy whereby locals use elephants to earn a living.
A large part of our work at PENR is educating visitors about the natural life of elephants, one where they are not forced to bathe with people, be ridden, touched, or handfed. We take elephants who come from these environments and provide them with a refuge, where they can roam the forests, sleep under shelters, and interact with other elephants.
Our tours serve to redirect people away from unethical tourism to respect elephants as the wild animals they are. We also ensure that we uphold the highest standards of animal welfare. While some centers may claim to be sanctuaries, many of them are still fronts for unethical tourism.
At PENR:
- We do not allow guests to touch the elephants in any way.
- Our mahouts (caretakers) do not use chains or bullhooks to control the elephants.
- We are accredited by World Animal Protection (Thailand), SGS Thailand, and Asian Captive Elephant Standards (ACES).
- We directly own, manage, and run our sanctuary.
- We provide proper nutrition and veterinary care to our elephants.
You can learn even more about how we do things through our guide: What is an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary?
Sustainable Practices from the Ground Up at PENR
Our welfare efforts go hand-in-hand with conservation practices. We believe that we cannot help save wildlife in Thailand without also attending to the environment. That’s why we preserve 30 rai of jungle for our elephants to walk in, helping contribute to a natural ecosystem.
At our sanctuary, we do not use any single-use plastic and make a concerted effort to reduce waste. One way we do that is through our elephant dung recycling center, where we turn dung into usable items!
Another essential aspect of our sanctuary is providing a good standard of living to our mahouts. While many mahouts turn to elephant tourism to earn a living, we provide our mahouts with the opportunity to work at a sanctuary safe for both people and elephants. We also provide them with accommodations near the sanctuary. Providing people with an alternate source of income is paramount to conservation!
Join Our Educational Elephant Tours
During our Phuket Elephant Tours and Activities, you have the opportunity to observe our elephants live and play in a natural environment. You can watch as they roam freely, bathe in the pool, and engage with each other, just as nature intended!
As part of our popular Half-Day Elephant Adventure in Phuket, you can enjoy a walk with the elephants in the forest and learn more about their care. Then, try your hand at recycling the elephant dung! We also include a Thai cooking demo, providing a holistic experience that focuses not just on the elephants, but the community and culture.
All proceeds from our tours go directly to supporting our sanctuary. So far, we have rescued four elephants — and we plan on rescuing many more! If you want to visit us and be a part of our mission, please feel free to contact us with any questions.
