Lek Chailert and the Fight for Elephant Welfare in Thailand

Thailand, July 2025: In Thailand, domesticated elephants are classified as “draught animals” under a 1939 law, allowing private ownership and creating a grey zone where welfare often depends on economic value. At Elephant Nature Park, Kampun was rescued from a camp and transferred to the sanctuary, where she began rehabilitation before joining a herd, part of ongoing efforts to shift from exploitation to protection.

The Story

July 2025, Chiang Mai - Thailand

In Thailand, elephants occupy a singular place in the national imagination, revered in religion and culture, yet deeply embedded in an economy of exploitation. Nearly 3,900 domesticated elephants remain tied to tourism, performing in shows, carrying visitors, or trekking through landscapes that echo a long history of labor and control.

At the heart of this paradox lies a legal contradiction. While wild elephants are protected under conservation laws, domesticated elephants are classified as “draught animals” under a 1939 legislation. This distinction allows them to be privately owned, bought, and sold, effectively reducing them to economic assets. In this grey zone, welfare is often secondary to profitability, leaving many animals vulnerable to abuse.

For more than thirty years, Sangduen “Lek” Chailert has worked against this system. Founder of Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, she has led the rescue of over 120 elephants from logging and tourism industries, offering an alternative model grounded in care, rehabilitation, and non-exploitative tourism.

In July 2025, the elephant Kampun was transferred from a camp to the sanctuary, an operation that reflects the complexity of such rescues. Upon arrival, she entered a one-month quarantine, a necessary step to stabilize her condition before any social interaction. Integration is gradual, allowing each elephant to rebuild trust, form bonds, and re-enter a herd on its own terms.

Nicknamed “Mae Lek,” or “Mother Lek,” Chailert embodies a form of leadership rarely seen in a traditionally male-dominated field. Her work extends beyond rescue: through initiatives such as the “Saddle Off” project, she has encouraged former camp owners to transition toward ethical sanctuary models. Figures like Khun Kriang Kai of Karen Elephant Home represent this shift, moving from exploitation-based tourism to practices that allow elephants greater autonomy in semi-natural environments.

This transformation is sustained by transnational solidarities. International donors play a crucial role in enabling rescues, funding the purchase, transport, and lifelong care of elephants. Among them, Noelle, a French donor, has directly supported rescue operations, illustrating how individual commitment can translate into tangible impact on the ground.

The urgency of this work has intensified in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted tourism flows, leaving many elephants without income while still requiring costly care. The floods of 2024 further destabilized already fragile ecosystems and livelihoods, exposing the vulnerability of a system heavily reliant on tourism.

Beyond individual rescues, this evolving model raises broader questions about the future of elephants in Thailand. It challenges the coherence of a legal framework that simultaneously protects and commodifies the same species, and calls into question the sustainability of an industry built on their exploitation.

Between reverence and ownership, protection and profit, the fate of Thailand’s elephants remains suspended in this unresolved tension.

Published on March 24, 2026