Elephant Conservation in Cambodia

Volunteer role at the project:

Volunteers work alongside local and international staff to assist in the rehabilitation of 7 rescued Asian elephants.

Each day differs but generally volunteers will spend half of each day with the elephants, observing them or helping to carry out their health checks. The other half of each day is spent volunteering on a variety of tasks that are required by the sanctuary:

• Harvesting banana and pineapple trees for the elephants
• Farming
• Road and trail maintenance
• Supporting the nursery and reforestation project

How the project is making a difference:

The sanctuary we work with provides a home to 10 Asian elephants that have been rescued from a variety of working backgrounds. They are now retired from work and live in the forest being rehabilitated in order to experience a more natural life. Here they are provided with a great natural environment to roam and each elephant has regular health checks and veterinary treatment when required.

The sanctuary works closely with the local community and the previous owners of the elephants (mahouts) as they recognise that without joint support, future positive change will not be possible. Therefore the project also provides employment opportunities for the mahouts to look after the elephants in their new home, but without having to work the elephants to earn an income.

Through the education of the local community and visitors to the area, they discourage the further domestication of wild elephants and instead demonstrate the value of elephants living more freely in the forest.

Why volunteers are needed:

Each elephant has their own mahout but volunteers provide an extra pair of eyes; whilst observing the elephants wandering freely in the forest you will learn how to complete full health checks which will allow you to identify and report any concerns regarding the elephants.
Volunteers also carry out a number of tasks to benefit the elephants in terms of additional food harvest for those who require it and contribute to the upkeep of the camp. A number of jobs volunteers assist with support the running of the sanctuary such as farming and construction.