We saw so many of these massive mammals during our trip through Africa, but this was the first time ever we got this close to them. Aside from the referral of my younger brother and his girlfriend, we did extensive research into different farms before visiting this one in Thailand. It was important to us that the elephants were well cared for and ethically treated, not exploited.
Within the first 15 minutes of our visit to Patara, we knew we'd chosen the right place. The caretakers focus on the rescue, recovery, reproduction, and re-introduction of the elephants. Their efforts in the conservation of this endangered species include seeing to the successful birth of 31 calves over the past decade with zero mortality and 8 more on the way.
Just one afternoon with these soft-hearted creatures (who eat 5% of their body weight on a daily basis) and we were smitten.
