Book The Great Elephant Escape
The Bring the Elephant Home Foundation is pleased to present you The Great Elephant Escape written by Antoinette van de Water and Liesbeth Sluiter.
Street elephants are a common sight in Thailand. Some carry tourists on their back, most of them spend theirs days begging for food or money, urged on by their mahouts, the elephant caretakers. The animals are often in a bad state of health. They often sleep next to garbage dumps and walk along overcrowded highways, undernourished and with wounded feet.
In the green pastures of the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary in northern Thailand, traumatised elephants can recover and begin to enjoy life. Antoinette van de Water worked as a volunteer in this park and lost her heart to the clumsy little elephant Ging Mai, the big slow lady Lilly, and to all the other unchained giants. With the dream of getting every elephant off the street, she started the project ‘Bring the Elephant Home’.
The Great Elephant Escape describes the liberation of two elephants and their journey with Antoinette and her Thai team to the Elephant Nature Park. It turned out to be a breathtaking adventure through the world of flirtatious elephant traders, poor villagers, well wishing monks, and angry animal rights advocates—towards Elephant Haven on the far horizon.
The book is available in the Elephant Nature Park and in bookstores in Thailand now. Or order the book from Amazon
Should you require any additional information please do not hesitate to contact us.
Details The Great Elephant Escape:
Antoinette van de Water
Liesbeth Sluiter
March 2009
ISBN 978-974-9511-64-0
Price:550 baht (excl. shipping costs)
Keywords
Bring the Elephant Home
Thailand’s elephants
Elephant conservation
Elephant protection
Highlights
- Inspiring story of one woman’s commitment to reversing the plight of the urban Thai elephant
- Introduces the various organizations working on elephant protection and conservation.
- Describes the publicity and fundraising campaign for ‘Bring the Elephant Home’ project.
- Travelogue of the adventurous journey of two street elephants back to nature.
About the Authors
ANTOINETTE VAN DE WATER is the founder and driving force of “Bring the Elephant Home,” an active organization working to create a better future for Thai elephants. After fundraising for a Dutch environmental NGO, in 2002 elephants changed her life completely and she moved to Thailand.
LIESBETH SLUITER is a journalist and photographer with a keen interest in environmental issues. Based in the Netherlands, she has visited Southeast Asia several times. One of her earlier books, The Mekong Currency (Bangkok: Project for Ecological Recovery/TERRA, 1992), describes the effects of dam building on the ecosystem of the Mekong River, its flora, its fauna, and its people.
What others are saying
Jacquelyn Suter, “The Great Elephant Escape”
Published in the Chiang Mai Mail, Vol. VIII, No. 13, March 31–April 6, 2009
National Treasure or National Tragedy?: After attending the launch of The Great Elephant Escape in Bangkok, Dwight Turner considers the plight of elephants in Thailand.
Article about The Great Elephant Escape in the August edition of the expats magazine Acclimate, by Maren S. Smith.
