“I worked with 19 elephants in 6 months in 2004-5 to gain as much experience as possible. Dok Mak was my first elephant and I cared for her the entire time, she remained my favourite and even though she has passed she remains my biggest inspiration. Dok Mak’s gentle yet strong personality gave me immense pleasure and taught me a lot. Most people who saw her large bulk instantly assume she was pregnant and I had to continually reiterate ‘No, she is over 80 years old and just loves her food, Dok Mak enjoyed the company of the biggest and strongest bulls.

If you really want to make a difference to any species the most effective way is to work in situ in their country of origin.”

Meepan personally researched and started a farm to grow special food for elephants.

Specialising in training elephants for films, Meepan has worked with many prominent actors and directors including Jackie Chan and Oliver Stone. In addition he trains elephants for theatre productions that include re-enacting elephant fights during war time. He was the consultant on the Blue Elephant, Thailand’s first animation feature about elephants and their role in Thai history.

Meepan also advises and assists the government departments on elephant problems. This includes advice and solutions for street elephants, and wild elephants that have been injured and require relocating and rehabilitation. He also negotiates with other elephant people and  with the government to improve laws to protect elephants and mahouts.

Most importantly Meepan encourages the development of mahouts and staff to raise the status of elephants and their keepers to the noble position they once held in Thai society. 

Our Staff

Belynda Zolotto

Communications Director Assistant

G’day! I’m from Australia. I manage our social media presence; public relations, and conduct research for Elephantstay and the Royal Kraal.
My professional qualifications are in academic research for the past twenty years, social media/online reputation management, and veterinary support assistance. I have worked in animal welfare for more than two decades. During that time I have gained extensive knowledge in elephant anatomy and physiology both through expansive research and working directly with elephants.
I look forward to sharing my knowledge about elephants in person or online!

Our mission is to conserve, help and protect Thailand’s elephants and to encourage the culture of nurturing elephants. One of the main projects is advising assisting and colloborating on new legislation to benefit all elephants. The new identification papers and DNA for domestic elephants was one step to help protect elephants and combat illegal trade. Now more extensive legislation is required to address welfare standards.

Welfare standards for elephants will be officially stipulated in the new legislation for the management and husbandry of domestic elephants. The reason the date of issue for the legislation has not yet been determined is because the experts are still in discussion about the exact contents. The primary goal is for the new legislation to well and truly serve elephants and elephant people, and that is why the drafting process is taking so long as elephant people continue to contend with bureaucratic agendas. The welfare standards in discussion are, for all intents and purposes, very idealistic, with well-rounded rules and regulations that elephant facilities must follow. With regular inspections that will be carried out, elephant facilities must prove that they are following the rules if they are to be granted a license to operate. The new legislation must embody such ideals, for elephant people will settle for nothing less.

There are three collectives of experts who are in ongoing discussion about the issues concerning elephant welfare standards. Some of these experts are on some form of government income. Many of these experts either have their own practices, or run their own facilities/businesses/community cooperatives. These experts are the ones who will set these standards that are to be stipulated in the new legislation.

• The cultural collective: This collective fully supports and promotes the expansion of avenues for traditional elephant-keeping communities around the country to earn good income. Such communities are the keepers of ‘cultural elephants’ — those elephants who have a cultural presence, and perform the role of hosts and participants in ceremonies and festivals. The purpose of this collective is to ensure that traditional elephant-keeping communities can earn their income as smoothly as possible, without having to deal with obstacles and unreasonable restrictions imposed by government departments/bureaucrats. This collective also looks after trust funds for elephants, holding and managing assets accumulated from cultural activities and rituals.

• The legal collective: This collective does legal research and takes action against individuals and organisations that have proven to be a danger to elephants and elephant-keeping cultures. Very importantly, this collective provides legal assistance to elephant owners whose elephants have been wrongfully taken away from them by government bureaucrats. So far, the predominant role of this collective has been to defend elephants and elephant people from any perceived threat, including threats in the form of misinformation on social media.

• The veterinary collective: This collective fully supports the use of traditional tools and techniques, especially in the medical treatment of elephants. They answer the question: “What is considered a healthy environment for domestic elephants?” This collective also determines the principles of proper elephant husbandry, as well as the criteria for healthy working and living conditions for domestic elephants. With scientific evidence openly laid out, the experts of this collective confirm the necessity of the use of traditional tools and techniques in the successful operation of an elephant facility/business/community cooperative.

Facts about Elephants

We have decided to start this page as there is lots of information about elephants on the internet. It is easy to find all the basic facts about elephants, how much they eat, how big they are, gestation period, what they eat etc. BUT there is virtually no information about the reality of people living and working with elephants. There is alot of misinformation put out by animal rights groups but their rhetoric doesn’t look after or feed elephants everyday. WE DO, as do others that have elephants in their care.

 FACT:  Giving tourist rides has contributed to                                 successful births

The Kraal has successfully bred nearly 90 elephant calves since February 2000. Nearly all our mothers gave rides to tourists up to the time they gave birth. Going into town and giving rides means the  mothers get to socialise and exercise up to the time they give birth. This is obviously most important for their mental and physical well being. Elephants that do not work get bored, frustrated and physically out of condition. The success of our breeding program proves that giving rides to tourists is positive and enhances successful birth success rates. For more comprehensive information about elephant riding please see  Riding elephants facts.

 FACT:  Happy, healthy elephants breed

Getting pregnant and having a successful birth for elephants is similar in principle to humans. If women are stressed they find it hard to get pregnant, the same can be said for elephants. So even though our elephants, as all the elephants in Thailand, are sometimes tethered and have mahouts who carry a takaw, they still get pregnant and have healthy babies. Because neither of those practical tools are detrimental to the elephant’s physical and psychological well being because they are used humanely and correctly. 

Nearly 90 successful births since February 2000 is proof that content, healthy elephants breed.  

FACT:  Not supporting domesticated elephants will                      ensure their extinction

There are only about 7,000-8,000 elephants left in Thailand. About half of these elephants live with people. There is barely enough jungle to support the wild populations that exist now, as their numbers increase, so will HEC (Human Elepant Conflict). The reality is that elephants have a greater chance of surviving into the future if the domestic populations are supported as well. Mahouts and owners need incentives to breed. If animal organisations paid money to elephant owners to breed and look after the mothers and babies then that would be a start. Without financial help, people can not be expected to bear a burden they cannot afford. Mahouts have families, to support as well as elephants and that requires money. The elephants are required to earn an income, if they are only costing the owner money then how will anyone survive into the future?

FACT:   Teaching elephants to paint is excellent training               and enrichment

Elephants love to paint because they get to do a fun activity with their mahouts. They get huge amounts of attention, positive reinforcement and treats from their mahout and so of course they are going to enjoy themselves. We only use younger elephants and it is amazing to watch how everyone plays together in between and physically and verbally show their love to those they associate with this activity. These type of activities demonstrate the close bond between elephant and mahout and anyone can watch and see how it benefits and enhances the relationship. People are amazed to see how dextrous an elephant is with their trunk. After all they have more muscles in their trunk then you have in your whole body! 

Elephant painting is a collaboration between the elephant and mahout and we love to see the mahouts develop their artistic side as much as the elephants. Its a fascinating and fun look into how we can develop and create opportunities for both the mahouts and elephants.

FACT:  The process of seperating mothers and babies is about as traumatic as the first day of school for a child

When a baby elephant is separated from its mother, there is naturally going to be some resistance. However many of us have witnessed the tears and tantrums of children on their first day of school. Elephants require training the same way children require schooling. They require patience love and understanding. They require sacrifice and commitment.  As there are so few elephant left it is important to remember that elephants are continually going up in price. The Kraal Village bought a sick mother whose milk had run dry and her 6 month old baby and it cost 1.2 million baht. Fortunately the mother started producing milk again the very next day as the other mums reassured her that this was a good place and she would be well taken care of.

 FACT: The takaw is a guide not a weapon

Thai people understand the world in symbolic terms. The elephant takaw is an instrument that has great meaning beyond its superficial use. It represents ancient teachings and has cultural significance that western values ignore. Too often western culture only sees the takaw in visual terms without any deeper historical or cultural meaning.  The west does not have a similar culture of keeping elephants and there is no centuries of history of elephants living with people so it is difficult for western society to understand how the takaw is used and its significance to Thai elephant culture.

The takaw (bullhook or ankus as it is also known) is a much maligned and misunderstood instrument by those who do not understand it, demonizing  its appearance. In elephant-keeping cultures where the takaw is standard, good mahouts very rarely use their takaws – or at least very rarely use them as it appears they must be used, in a slashing or stabbing motion. In fact, the takaw, so long as neither the weight nor the point of the head is used, is simply a light stick with a metal head shaped to a point. Even the point has a very subtle and gentle purpose; each mahout will have his takaw forged so that it ‘grabs’ elephant skin perfectly to his taste, allowing him to both extend his reach and to pull or tug into himself. The mahout, even afoot but especially mounted, is enabled to ‘signal’ otherwise unreachable control points on the elephant’s body. ‘Takaw commands’ are often more readable and able to convey nuance to the elephant than are either voice commands, feet commands, or ‘whole body commands’. Takaw commands can be used to augment a voice command, perhaps by modulating the speed or direction. At no time, in proper use, does the takaw break the skin.

It is undeniable, of course, that a larger pain-causing potential lurks in the takaw, a reserve should an elephant go truly out of control. In reality, while the potential for pain in a takaw is vital in medium-level confrontations between elephant and mahout, a takaw is useless when an elephant really goes amok. 

In short, when used properly the takaw is a far more subtle and versatile tool than it appears, and in dire emergencies the takaw is a far less painful and powerful weapon than it appears. Hooks have been used to inflict needless wounds, but the cause is invariably poorly trained, poorly supervised, and poorly motivated mahouts rather than any cruelty intrinsic in the takaw. (If such men did not have takaws they would use machetes or whatever weapon lay close to hand.) Correctly used a takaw is a conductor’s baton, not a policeman’s truncheon.