TRUNK CALLS IN CHIANG RAI

At the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Bill Bensley-designed eco-tents and lodges pair with once-in-a-lifetime elephant encounters in a jungle adventure of your dreams.

- TEXT CHARUKESI RAMADURAI

Following the flash floods that hit northern Thailand in October 2024, there were news reports about the evacuation of 100 elephants from a popular sanctuary near Chiang Mai, during which two died. This tragedy sparked furious debate on the ethics of animal welfare and the role of human intervention in such situations.

When I bring it up, Chatchote Thitaram, assistant professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Chiang Mai University, with several years of researching and writing about elephant welfare, tells me that letting loose a large herd of panicked elephants used to human guidance would have been an even worse disaster. What would work is better safety protocols and contingency planning, he explains.

The debate arose partially from Thailand's reputation for animal rescue centres, especially elephant camps that encourage (uncomfortably) close interactions between tourists and animals.

"Many parks claim that they don't use the hook and chain to control the elephants, but once the tourists are gone, these (control) tools come out. And they don't limit the number of visitors or the interaction timings, which puts the elephants under great stress," Prof Thitaram adds.

In contrast, I'm here at the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, watching the resident rescue elephants walk, feed, and play seemingly without a care in the world.

My first interaction with them is at breakfast, when Jathong and Kamool show up, demanding their own chow. And while guests sit demurely cutting up their eggs and avocado toast, these two begin devouring bananas and cucumbers by the bucketfuls, eagerly extending their trunks for more treats.