The Pating Hill Tribe Elephant Village was an absolutely incredible experience. It was heartbreaking to learn how horribly so many elephants have been abused since the rise of tourism in Thailand. We saw it ourselves, first hand, in Bangkok. Here, at the village, they’re treated with such amazing compassion and respect. The people here really care a tremendous amount about the wellbeing of the elephants. And it was such a joyous experience to be among these happy thriving animals. Being just a few feet away and seeing the emotional intelligence in the eyes of these gentle giants Is something I will never forget. This village is small… They don’t have a lot of space. Is it 100% ideal? No. But they’re doing the best that they can with what they’ve got. And these elephants loves are much better here, than they were before, where they were rescued from. Everybody that comes to Phuket should come here and see how we can coexist on this earth. Do not give your money to businesses that exploit animals for photo opportunities, or interactive rides or performances. Do not reshare social media posts of people visiting those places. The people visiting aren’t bad people, they just (probably) don’t know any better. Those animals are kept in chains and cages, the birds and lizards are fed barely enough to keep them alive, the tigers are heavily drugged so they won’t attack, elephants that give rides or perform tricks or make paintings aren’t having fun! They’re being forced through physical torture. All of the elephants here are rescued from abusive situations, and they have a magnificent new lease on life. Here they are happy and thriving, being allowed to just be elephants. Not slaves, not performers, not an amusement park attraction… just elephants. In the wild. Simply being allowed to be.
Thank you for your heartfelt review! We're grateful that you recognized our commitment to elephant welfare and treating every elephant with care and respect. Your support for responsible and ethical elephant tourism means so much to our team.
