Brighten the lives of elephants this holiday season
This year, your greatest wish for the holidays may be to safely enjoy good times with friends and family after months of separation. You might already be planning a favourite meal to celebrate the spirit of the season. For elephants living at our partner venues in Thailand, these are things I’m wishing for too —nutritional food, good health and togetherness. Will you help make this wish come true?
Header image credit: Following Giants
A challenging year for elephants
Jahn lives at Following Giants, a high welfare venue in Thailand that follows elephant-friendly guidelines. She is facing an uncertain future due to the impacts of the pandemic and the lack of visiting tourists. Following Giants, like most elephant venues throughout the region, is experiencing a severe loss of income and is struggling to feed the elephants. Without the ongoing support of World Animal Protection, they could even be forced to close their doors, which means their elephants would have to be sent back home. They could be faced with starvation or end up working in a harsh environment like logging in a rubber plantation, which would be devastating for Jahn.
Image credit: Following Giants
Until recently, Jahn had a difficult life as a riding elephant, carrying tourists every day. When she wasn’t giving rides, she was chained to one spot, alone in the blazing sun.
Now Jahn is free to roam the forest and enjoy the company of her gentle friend Mae Thongsuk. But today they both urgently need your help to stay together and continue their carefree lives at Following Giants.
Image credit: Following Giants
Our elephants’ wish list
You can brighten the lives of elephants like Jahn with a gift of comfort and joy, which will be matched for double the impact:
- For $34, which will be twice as nice at $68, two elephants will be delighted with a month’s worth of sugarcane or mango snacks
- $43 will be matched to equal $86 and keep an older elephant healthy through the holidays with supplements for two weeks
- $151 doubles to $352 and will provide two weeks’ supply of nourishing food for one elephant
- You can give the ultimate gift of comfort and safety this holiday season with a donation of $460 that will be doubled to $920 to cover venue’s land rental cost for two months.
Can’t decide? Consider a combination of special gifts
- $56 increases to $112 and gives two elephants all their favourite treats—bananas, sugarcanes or pumpkins – for a month
- A gift of $110 doubles to $220, which means four elephants can feast on a delicious selection of fruit for a month
- A gift of $255 becomes $510 and will feed two elephants for a week and keep them safe and warm in their homes
Thank you for remembering rescued elephants this holiday season
Jahn never asked to live in captivity. She just wants to be free to be an elephant. With your generous gift, elephants like her can continue to enjoy healthy lives in the comfort and serenity of truly elephant-friendly and high welfare venues.
I see firsthand the life-changing transformation that happens when elephants like Jahn receive the care they need in high welfare venues like Following Giants. I ask for your help now during this special time of year so their healing journey can continue. Your support for these gentle giants will be greatly appreciated.
Happy holidays and trunks of thanks for your kind support,
Dee Kenyon,
Elephant Venue Project Manager in Thailand
