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BEES Elephants

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Love, Respect, Protect. A Sanctuary for Elephants where roles are reversed and humans now work for them. Observation Based Tourism - Hands Off Policy

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Happy World Elephant Day! 🐘

Today, we’d love to introduce you to Emily and Burm of @beeselephants — top elephant conservationists and champions of ethical elephant tourism in Thailand. We’ve known Emily and Burm for years now, and one thing that always strikes us is how nuanced their approach to conservation is.

Emily moved to Thailand at 18, determined to save elephants. At first, she was angry at every elephant owner. But after living with Burm and getting to know the stories of the families and communities behind elephant tourism, she realised things weren’t so black and white. What she eventually learned was that you can’t understand elephant tourism without understanding the people and communities whose lives are intertwined with them.

Two of the biggest lessons we’ve taken from knowing them:

1. Conservation is complicated.
It’s easy to enter wildlife tourism and conservation with a fixed idea of what’s right and wrong. But real conservation is often much more complicated — and much more human.

2. Change starts with us.
As travellers, what we choose to pay for shapes the kind of tourism that exists.

And Emily and Burm put that belief into practice. In 2018, they became the first sanctuary in Thailand to go fully hands-off, at a time when tourists still expected to touch, feed and bathe elephants.

Today, BEES continues to champion a more ethical way of experiencing elephants — one that lets elephants be elephants, while supporting the communities that have lived alongside them for generations.

Want to meet the elephants of BEES? Join Burm and Emily for an ethical elephant experience - book now on @seeksophie.

—
𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙎𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙚 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 — 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹-𝘱𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 @seeksophie 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. by @beeselephants

Running an Animal Sanctuary is truly a labour of love, but it also comes with enormous responsibility and ongoing costs. If love alone could keep the wheels turning, we wouldn’t have such challenges. 🥹❤️🌿🐘

Every single day we work to provide the safety, security, food, medical care, enrichment and a peaceful home for all the animals in our care and a safe space also for the amazing people involved in their care and helping around the Sanctuary. 🙏❤️

The reality is, we cannot do this alone. It takes a global community! 💞

Over the past months, we have felt the impact of the current world situation, civil unrest in the Middle East, and the rising cost of living. Fuel prices, food, supplies and animal care costs continue to increase, while visitor numbers have dropped significantly. 💔

In April, we welcomed a total of 9 visitors on our Overnight Stay and 3 Night / 4 Day Programs.

To those who visited and supported us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts 🙏❤️

In order to simply cover our essential monthly expenses, we need a minimum of 30 visitors each month on our programs. 🙏

Anything raised over helps us work toward important goals like:
🌿 securing land for the sanctuary

🌿 running spay/neuter and animal outreach programs, maybe some day building an animal hospital and having a mobile clinic

🌿 improving infrastructure and facilities

🌿 and hopefully rescuing another elephant in need in the near future

Without enough support, we cannot continue providing high quality care or provide medical outreach to more animals who desperately need help.

If you believe in BEES and what we stand for, please consider supporting us. ❤️❤️❤️

You can help by:
❤️ visiting the sanctuary
❤️ sharing our posts
❤️ recommending us to friends and family
❤️ donating if you are able
❤️ fundraise for BEES

Every act of support, no matter how small, helps keep our sanctuary alive.

Donations accepted via Give.Asia, PayPal or Bank Transfer.

🔗Clickable links in Bio

Thank you all for your amazing support. ❤️

Over the past 14 years we have changed many lives. Let’s continue to do so 🙏🙏🙏

#LoveRespectProtect #ElephantsAnimalsCommunity #AnimalWelfare #elephants by @beeselephants

This post aims to share insights into how elephant sanctuaries can differ greatly. Drawing from our collective background as high welfare venues, managing sanctuaries in Thailand and Cambodia, we’ve seen firsthand that without immersing oneself in the daily life of a facility and understanding the specific nuances of its operation, it is easy to assume that all sanctuaries should—or can—be the same. In reality, a single, universal policy cannot be applied to elephant management across the board.

In recent years, the rise of “greenwashing” and “word-washing” has complicated the conversation. Terms like “ethical,” “sanctuary,” and “chain-free” have become powerful buzzwords that have undoubtedly helped advocate for better welfare. However, focusing solely on these labels can sometimes obscure the full picture. It can lead to a simplified view of care that doesn’t account for the broader, more complex management required to keep both animals and people safe. To truly support progress, we must look beyond the buzzwords and understand the unique realities each facility faces. This is why we cannot compare venues through a single, rigid model; instead, we must look deeper into the specific contexts of their operations.

To pitch one high welfare venue’s approach against another often stems from a misunderstanding of these unique challenges. With over 6,000 elephants in captivity in S.E Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos) and only around 7% currently living free from work, our shared goal is to rescue more elephants and champion higher welfare standards for those living in captivity.

Elephant care demands incredible dedication, with mahouts often devoting their entire lives to one animal and providing 24-hour care on-site. If we compare high-welfare venues without acknowledging this, we risk undermining the people leading the field. We recognise the complexity of this subject; while this overview is just a starting point, we aim to foster transparency. Through open dialogue and a truer understanding of these realities, we can better support the community and venues striving to create a better world for these animals. by @beeselephants

We just LOVE this image captured by our guide EM Thanawat in our Ruzi grass field! 🌿🐘✨

It is so tranquil and lush. It beautifully shows the quiet beauty of our elephants and their dedicated caretakers taking a peaceful moment together in the grass.

Our caretakers work tirelessly every day to protect and guide these beautiful souls, and capturing a glimpse of that deep, quiet bond is pure magic.

You could witness moments like this in real life!

📧 Book a stay with us and enjoy the beauty of elephants just being elephants.

💚 Love. Respect. Protect. 💚

#ElephantWelfare #ElephantsBeingElephants #ObservationBasedTourism #EcoTourism #NatureLovers by @beeselephants

Looking for a truly authentic ethical elephant experience in Northern Thailand? 🐘💚

Join the BEES Visitor Program for an unforgettable all-inclusive nature immersion!

We offer Overnight, 3-Night/4-Day, and full Week Immersion stays.

✨ The BEES Experience:
✔️ Observation-based & Hands-off policy 👀🛑✋

✔️ Hike through stunning rural landscapes 🌿🍃🌳

✔️ Watch rescued elephants just be elephants🐘✨

✔️ Hang out with our rescued cats & dogs🐾🐈🐕

🚐 Transfers Included: Pick-up and return inside Chiang Mai Old City on scheduled days.

✨ Spaces are limited! For a more quality and immersive experience, we accept small numbers of guests (typically 10-12).

🔗 Tap the Link to our website in the Bio

Book your Stay at BEES today! 🙏🌿🐘

#EthicalElephantSanctuary #ChiangMai #ThailandTravel #amazingthailand #Elephants by @beeselephants

Happy Spooktacular Saturday BEES Friends! 🎃

Majestic Mae Kam glided through the stream, we love when she is caught mid ear flap. Her pink frilly ears are just magnificent!

#LoveRespectProtect #ElephantsBeingElephants #ElephantWelfare #MaeKamTheElephant #elephant by @beeselephants

The gorgeous Jasmine, munching on a vine. 🌿🐘

Look at her, surrounded by the lush greenery, ears wide open, slight sideways glance, almost as if to say, “What are you looking at?!” as she briefly noticed the guests and guide watching her on today’s observation walk. 👀🍃🐘

Sometimes elephant observation walks are a mix of people watching elephants and elephants watching people! 🤭👀❤️

#ElephantObservation #elephant #LoveRespectProtect #ElephantsBeingElephants #elephantwelfare by @beeselephants

Sweet Mae Dok feasting in nature, the sun shining through the canopy onto her beautiful furry face. ☀️✨

A masterpiece of natural engineering, an elephant’s wiry hair acts as a highly efficient cooling system that helps release their body heat, while those beautiful wrinkles trap moisture and mud to keep them cool. 🐘☀️🌱

Look at her lush lashes and gorgeous chin hair. We love this sweet hairy old girl! 😍🌿

#LoveRespectProtect #ElephantsBeingElephants #MaeDokTheElephant #ElephantWelfare #observationbasedtourism by @beeselephants

Pretty Girl Jasmine strolls confidently through the stream, on her way back to her shelter with her loving Caretaker Ai’Glaysorn following behind her ✨🌿🐘

Jasmine’s Nighttime Safety Initiative fundraiser is still active, and we truly need your help to reach our goal. Building and buying the necessary infrastructure to keep elephants safe at night is an expensive undertaking.

Please consider making a donation today to help make the necessary modifications for Jasmine’s shelter 🙏🌿❤️🐘

🔗 Link in Bio

#LoveRespectProtect #ElephantWelfare #ObservationBasedTourism #JasmineTheAcrobaticElephant by @beeselephants

🌳 Mae Kam carefully stripping bark from a branch 🌿

👀 Did you know elephants eat bark?!

Nature really thought of everything when designing the elephant trunk. It is the ultimate versatile tool! 🛠️

Here magnificent Mae Kam is using her trunk to strip down and enjoy the outer layer of this branch, getting her daily dose of vital nutrients like calcium, fiber, and essential minerals. ❤️🐘✨

#MaeKamTheElephant #ElephantFacts #ElephantBehavior #NatureIsAmazing #ObservationBasedTourism by @beeselephants

👀🐘Tail swishing, munching on leaves and vines. 🍃

A bootiful view of Mae Dok reaching up high for the juiciest leaves 🍑🌿🐘✨

#LoveRespectProtect #Elephants #maedoktheelephant #ElephantWelfare #observationbasedtourism by @beeselephants

Forget wining and dining - around here, we prefer vines over wines! 🌿🐘🤭

Our beautiful Mae Dok is spending her days feasting on a variety of delicious natural foods. Seeing her this relaxed and content brings a massive smile to our faces, especially after she gave us a big scare earlier this year. Back in February Mae Dok was showing signs of severe discomfort and laid down due to a bit of an impaction, that she thankfully passed. We are absolutely thrilled to see her thriving now!

She isn’t young anymore, she is nearing 70!

But she is oh so pretty. We just love watching her enjoy herself and live her days Happy, Flappy and Thriving. ✨❤️

#LoveRespectProtect #MaeDokTheElephant #elephantbeingelephants by @beeselephants