About BTEH
Bring The Elephant Home (BTEH) is a foundation that campaigns to help bring the Thai Elephants home and prevent the elephants from facing extinction. At Bring the Elephant Home Foundation; we campaign to help Thai elephants to promote animal friendly eco-tourism, protect and pro-create a natural habitation for the elephants.
Our campaigns for the elephants do not stop there; we also harvest food for the elephants, we support community development in traditional elephant villages, educate and involve the local schools in hopes of a better tomorrow where our children and animals can cohabitate peacefully. We also try to find a resolution to the human-elephant conflicts and promote awareness of deforestation. In every project we are always cooperating closely with Thai Organizations.
Mission and (download pdf) policy plan Bring the Elephant Home 2009-2011
Achieved thus far
Bring the Elephant Home had successfully liberated two street elephants Dok Ngeon and Sri Nuan from their life from street begging for food. In a demonstrative and a video documented tour; we traveled from Bangkok to the Elephant Nature Park, an elephant sanctuary in Mae Tang north of Chiang Mai. During this tour we organized elephant lessons at local schools, held art competitions and brainstormed with local governments in the cause of campaigning against street elephants!
Since this project; Bring the Elephant Home continues its’ campaigns to help Thai elephants and bring them home to a sanctuary where elephants can be just elephants happily.
Book The Great Elephant Escape
The book titled The Great Elephant Escape describes the liberation of the two elephants Dok Ngeon and Sri Nuanand their journey with Antoinette and her Thai team to the Elephant Nature Park. It is written by Antoinette van de Water (founder, Dutch) and Liesbeth Sluiter (journalist, Dutch). The book is available in the Elephant Nature Park and in bookstores in Thailand. Or order the book from Amazon.
Trees for Elephants
Our current main project is ‘Trees for Elephants’. The forest is the natural home for Thai elephants; the majority of the problems of elephants are related to the gigantic deforestation that had been going on since the 1950’s. In the 1950’s, 65% of north-eastern Thailand was covered with luscious forest; in 1981 only 8% of this remains. As natural habitat and food is disappearing and so are the elephants, now they are in danger of facing extinction! In 1900 there were about 100,000 elephants in Thailand. Today, there are only 1,500 estimated numbers of wild elephants that have survived! Due to the lack of food in the forest for the elephants the villagers are forced to bring their domesticated elephants into the city to beg for food. In the few areas where wild elephants still have a chance to survive, conflicts between human and elephants are getting worse every year. Thai elephants need more habitat and food to survive! This is why Bring the Elephant Home started the campaign ‘Trees for Elephants’. In 2008 we planted 100,000 trees in areas where the elephants are most threatened. In 2009 we have planted 44,000 trees and are taking care of the trees planted last year. We are continuing to replant natural habitation and food for the elephants to strengthen the elephants fight for survival!
Please help!
To achieve our aims, Bring the Elephant Home works closely with Thai organizations as the Elephant Nature Park, the Wild Elephant Research and Conservation Fund and the Population and Development Association. We need their experience, knowledge and network. Together we can successfully make a difference for Thai elephants! ‘Trees for Elephants’ has five locations: Elephant Nature Park, Khao Yai National Park, Elephant island Isaan, Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary ande Boon Lott
Photo album of Bring the Elephant Home
