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We also learned a little bit about issues Asian elephants face and about elephants in the tourism industry. What we learned was sobering and the situation can feel somewhat hopeless, but the work that KSES is doing to bring elephants back to the forest is uplifting and I commend their staff for making a difference. I hope that the data collected by us and others will create a set of guidelines that will allow other elephants in captivity to live like the five at KSES do.

History of the Zoo! 

Zoos originated from menageries, an eclectic collection of mostly exotic animals often housed by powerful empires or people. These menageries symbolised wealth and power, as they often boasted large, dangerous and foreign creatures demonstrating a high degree of skill and capabilities needed for acquisition. These menageries evolved over time into the more contemporary zoos that we recognise today, after 17th century academics’ studies began to appreciate the nature...

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"After 45 minutes we found a herd of 11 elephants. This family is one that often is within the area. It has 9 females (3 sub adult and 6 adult) and 2 infant males.
The difference between these elephants and the three we had seen the night before was striking. They were calm, collected and completely not bothered by our presence.

For people who manage elephants these are an excellent example; they are calm, moving slowly and have an air of confidence that you don't see with captive...

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"On our first night in Kui Buri, we joined the rangers as they herded elephants back into the forest by rounding them up using a truck. It was fascinating because while we did not agree with how they did what they do we joined in to experience how they do it. After all, participation is a key part of learning how other people are managing with every day human elephant conflict situations.

So come 11pm after a long day travelling we found ourselves rodeoing along across a grass me...