The Elephant Story

News from Moo Baan Chang, Surin, Thailand

Jan 09, 2017 | 0 comments

Several people have asked what is going on in our special village which caused us to prepare a brief update covering several topics. First of all, you should know that life is pretty peaceful there as the image below indicates-plenty of rain, great rice crop and, therefore, everything is "sabaay maak" (Thai for "tranquil" like your mind following meditation). The elephants can take a rest from farming and enjoy a special treat in an enhanced diet which will be covered below. Moreover, the elephants are prospering and adding offspring. Further, The Elephant Story together with The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant...

Lauren De Terra's Report of Her Term as an English Teacher in Moo Ban Chang, Ban Ta Klang, Thailand

May 23, 2016 | 0 comments

Seven months into my time in Thailand I find myself walking a gravel road. I look to my right and can see Burma and Laos. A young elephant extends her trunk, demanding more sunflower seeds. We continue to the Ruak River where I watch two elephants bathe, flapping their ears in happiness and spraying water on their backs to fight the April heat. I'm a volunteer at the elephant camp at Anantara Resort and Spa, located in the very north of Thailand. This past month I've met travelers from all over the world and helped them get up close and...

Elephants and Economics

Feb 15, 2016 | 0 comments

This commentary was prompted by a recent article in the Nikkei Asian Review commenting on the ASEAN Economic Community Reality, which created a question in my mind as to the future of elephants in many of these countries in light of their economic development. First of all, the author would like to acknowledge Ele Aid for their vast contribution to an understanding of the elephant population and potential for their survival in Southeast Asia. Below is a ranking of certain ASEAN countries by their GDP and GDP per capita. There are several observations relative to the wealth of these countries...

Report of Tim Klabunde on His Term as the First Native English Teacher in Moo Baan Chang Ban Ta Klang, Thailand

Nov 21, 2015 | 0 comments

Tim Klabunde just completed his term as the first native English teacher in the primary and secondary schools in Moo Baan Chang, Ban Ta Klang under the sponsorship of The Elephant Story through the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation. Tim began this adventure at the age of 26 with an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and extensive educational and cultural training in Thailand. Nonetheless, as his personal account below indicates, very little could have prepared him for his experience at Chang Boon Wittaya school. I (Tim) constantly joke that living here has made me bipolar. Some days I...

The Elephant Story Raises $40,000 for Elephant Conservation

Jul 29, 2015 | 0 comments

Through the Elephant Story sponsorship of The Elephant Story Invitational Elephant Polo Tournament on June 23 and 24 in Moo Baan Chang, Ban Ta Klang, Thailand and the Gumbo and Strings concert in Comfort, Texas, over $40,000 was raised for the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) The Elephant Story Invitational Elephant Polo Tournament Four teams represented Citi, The ToleHouse Chameleons of Nepal WEPA fame, Sara Story Design and The Elephant Story in the Elephant Story elephant polo tournament. Apart from the $10,000 raised from the team sponsorships, another $12,000 remained in the small village to add...

The Elephant Story Elephant Polo Tournament In Moo Baan Chang, Ban Ta Klang, Surin, Thailand

Apr 22, 2015 | 0 comments

Since elephant polo was introduced to Thailand by the Thai Elephant Polo Association in 2001, and came under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King of Thailand as the King’s Cup, it has grown in scope and scale to become a major annual social event. However, we thought we would go to the elephants this year and have a much smaller tournament in the elephants’ hometown rather than the big city of Bangkok. Accordingly, The Elephant Story will host a tournament in Moo Baan Chang, June 24 and June 25 to mark the fifteenth year anniversary of elephant polo...

Moo Baan Chang - Heart of Elephant Culture

Apr 15, 2015 | 0 comments

Everywhere we go in Thailand, from the north to the south and back to Bangkok we encounter elephants and mahouts from Moo Baan Chang (the elephant village) Ban Ta Klang, Surin.At the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament last year in Bangkok, the elephant village mahout elders pictured below and some thirty elephants came from Moo Baan Chang. I guess it goes without saying that the taller guy is not a mahout though may qualify as an elder. Recently, we had a group from The Learning Link and The Elephant Story in Moo Baan Chang to organize the first native English...

A VISIT TO THE ELEPHANT VILLAGE (MOO BAAN CHANG) BAN TA KLANG SURIN PROVINCE, THAILAND

Jan 14, 2015 | 0 comments

It is apparent that the single focus of this village is the breeding of elephants given the number of bulls around and the young offspring. The fellow shown below is going strong at age sixty. Since very few outsiders visit Moo Baan Chang, the mother elephants are more open to people interacting with their babies. There are very few places where you could have a newly born elephant wrap his trunk around your arm. There is a strong integration of Buddhism, Brahmanism, and Animism in the elephant village culture. In 1995, the Abbot of Wat Pa Arjiang in Moo Baan...

A VISIT TO THE ELEPHANT VILLAGE (MOO BAAN CHANG) BAN TA KLANG, SURIN PROVINCE, THAILAND

Jan 07, 2015 | 0 comments

Although there are 200 elephants in the village and the mahouts travel with their elephants to the Annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in various parts of Thailand, most of their children had never seen a match. Therefore, the children could see it played and obtain first hand knowledge of their fathers’ elephant handling skills. Although the players did not have an elevated load out station to get on the elephants, we all managed to climb up on their backs. You will note that we had some creature comforts with a tented awning and some electric fans in what was...

A VISIT TO THE ELEPHANT VILLAGE (MOO BAAN CHANG) IN BAN TA KLANG, SURIN PROVINCE, THAILAND

Dec 31, 2014 | 0 comments

For many years we have all wanted to visit Moo Baan Chang, the cradle of the elephant culture in Thailand, home to 200 elephants and their mahout families. It is located a long, 7 ½ hour drive northeast of Bangkok near the Thai/Cambodian border. The residents speak a mixture of Cambodian, Thai and several local dialects that no foreign linguist has yet to comprehend. Earlier this year, The Elephant Story Team and our friends from the Four Seasons Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle spent a weekend there. Those of us coming from Bangkok got the better deal as the...

GOLDEN TRIANGLE AISAN ELEPHANT FOUNDATION

Nov 26, 2014 | 0 comments

We talk a lot about the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) but one of the least known facts is they have an excellent intern program which is under the watchful eye of John Roberts who has dedicated his life to elephant conservation. Below you can see John Roberts holding a microphone as a group of Akha students sing in response to the donation of school supplies by The Elephant Story. The GTAEF intern program offers interns interested in elephants to have access to the elephants, to work in veterinary care, to assist in elephant behavioral studies, or simply just hang out...

The Elephant Story raised $36,000 for The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation

Aug 06, 2014 | 0 comments

The Elephant Story raised $36,000 for The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation. The Cowboys and Strings concert and auction held on August 2 raised $36,000 to provide educational support for the school in the elephant village, Moo Baan Chang, in Surin, Thailand. The elephant village is home to over 200 elephants, their mahouts and families. The objective of the educational program is to introduce foreign language instruction, eco tourism concepts, and fiscal responsibility into the school curriculum in order to build a sustainable eco tourism base for the village. Eight luxury hotels in Southeast Asia donated hotel packages to the auction...

The Elephant Story Hosts First Elephant Polo Exhibition in Moo Baan Chang, Surin, Thailand

Apr 26, 2014 | 0 comments

Moo Baan Chang, Surin, Thailand (PRWEB) April 28, 2014 On April 18 and 19, 2014, The Elephant Story hosted the first elephant polo exhibition match in the history of Moo Baan Chang, Surin, Thailand. Moo Baan Chang, The Elephant Village, is home to 200 elephants, their mahouts and their families. The Elephant Story and players from The Four Seasons Tented Camp elephant polo team played a two-day exhibition match to support the local community and the school. The Elephant Story in association with The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation will seek to further expand these efforts to raise...