As a volunteer at the elephant project, you will be taught everything you need to know about the care of these magnificent animals. You will work hands-on with the elephants, washing them, feeding them during the day, going out to collect food for them, walking with them into our beautiful lake to swim and cleaning their enclosure. The financial contribution you make to the center supports the costs of caring for the elephants and for your own food and accommodation.

Approximately twice a week, the mahouts will take the volunteers on an excursion to harvest food for the elephants (typically banana trees and pineapple.) Volunteers should be prepared for hard physical work.

There are two volunteer coordinators present to facilitate to the needs of the volunteers, as well as to organize the daily schedule.

We have a dedicated volunteer coordinator at the project who will greet you and show you around when you arrive. Over the first few days at the project, the coordinator and the more experienced volunteers will show you the ropes, explaining the volunteers’ responsibilities, teaching you any skills that you need and generally keeping an eye out for you. Due to the nature of the center, work is responsive to the animals needs and as such no two days are ever the same.

Volunteers work 6 days a week. Working hours are generally from 06:30 to 17:00 at the Elephant Refuge, and from 06:30 and 08:00 and end between 17:30 and 18:00 at the Wildlife Rescue Center depending upon the job the volunteers are on for the day. There are breaks for breakfast and lunch. Although every working day is different, with different tasks to carry out, there are several jobs which need to be done daily.

06:30-08:00 Preparation of food for the animals and feeding them, assisting with cleaning the enclosures

08:00-09:00 Breakfast

09:00-12:00 Scrubbing pools, water rounds, the big enclosure must be done before lunch at 12:00, and any other projects that need doing around the centre (maintenance work, painting, digging, etc). Any food enrichments must also be prepared in the morning to be able to service them between 11:00-14:00.

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-17:00 In the afternoon period, all other jobs should be done. At the Elephant Refuge these jobs are afternoon feeding and water rounds, bathe and scrub the elephants and tidy up the center. At the Wildlife Rescue Center these tasks take place outside cages and include sweeping, afternoon feeding and water rounds. Both programs follow this schedule: feeding usually takes place between 14:00-16:00, sweeping at 16:30 and cleaning the center at 16:45.

17:00-18:00 Personal time (usually used for showering!)

18:00-19:00 Dinner. Dishes cleaned by kitchen staff. Volunteers are responsible for cleaning the tables and washing the food trays - this duty will be assigned on the Rota Board along with feeding the dogs.

19:00 onwards Personal time to socialize with other volunteers, walk into the village (must be in groups of two or more), or take a taxi to Hua Hin or Cha Am. We encourage volunteers to keep the noise down after 22:00 to avoid disturbing the wildlife.

The types and variety of duties will depend largely on the duration of stay of each volunteer, and number and skills of volunteers participating. Some of the work is also seasonal and dependent upon available resources on-site at the time.

Although the work with these domesticated elephants is hands-on, we do not support the riding of elephants. Many of our rescued elephants have endured decades of backbreaking work carrying tourists in elephant camps and ‘attractions’, and the Elephant Refuge and Education Center is their sanctuary, somewhere they no longer have to ‘perform’ or be treated unnaturally.