Conservation Internship with Elephants in Thailand

GVI Chiang Mai has been one of the best experiences. When I first arrived, 12th November 2022, everyone was so welcoming. From everyone in the village and on base, I instantly felt at home. For the first few weeks, there was a high turnover of staff with some members leaving and others going on holiday. This meant that the only consistent things happening in a day would be the elephant hike and pakinyaw lessons. I did not experience the camping and biodiversity part of the programme until two months into the programme. Hiking with the elephants in a semi-wild environment was amazing, getting to know their individual personalities and taking the data on them to encourage ethical tourism in Thailand. Whilst on the project, I had the opportunity to help staff members develop and improve the 3 sets of data we collect on the elephants, which gave me more of an insight and understanding into the what the data would eventually be used for by potential partners. Additionally, it was great to see baby Lala grow into a cheeky elephant and start her training to be on chain away from mum Kah Moon. I also thoroughly enjoyed the biodiversity and camping part of the programme, getting to go on night hikes and seeing the reptiles we learnt about as part of the internship. It was also amazing to see and hear the gibbons that are so rare. And getting the chance to go on medicine hikes and learn from a village elder all about herbal medicines found in local forests, and stories about the village from 100 years ago was awesome. Most nights, there were activities for us to get involved with, such as with the local mahouts who would show us how to make bamboo cups and baskets, sticky rice and slingshots. These nights were always fun and allowed us to get to know the mahouts better. Wednesday was my favourite night of the week, as it was social night. We had cooking classes with villagers to see how they prepared our food, which was also a great opportunity to get to know them better and improve our pakinyaw. Photocomp and quiz nights run on a Wednesday were always fun and a good laugh. Individual homestay with local villagers is a unique experience and a great way to practice the local language taught daily. The families are very welcoming and encouraged us to stay on base for local traditions such as geeju day, which happens twice a year. I was glad I was on project to experience it. Since volunteers are welcome to attend for long or short periods, I was pleased to meet new arrivals from many different countries, backgrounds and ages. On the whole this was great experience, which I enjoyed. However, after my visa run, the end of January 2023, there was some conflict on base, with certain individuals engaged in petty meanness such as talking behind people?s backs. As a result, the base became noticeably divided. In particular, one new arrival seemed out to make life unpleasant, especially for me. I don't feel the base staff handled the situation well at all. Up to that point I was really enjoying my time at the base. Afterwards, it significantly affected my enjoyment of the internship and that feeling lasted for another 4-weeks, up to when I left base for a weeks? holiday. It did make me seriously consider leaving the project early, but I did not want other people?s poor social behaviour and lack of support to spoil my successful completion. Fortunately, when I returned to base, it was with a big, new intake of people and they were all extremely nice. The conflict affected my internship. I felt I did not get as much help on my project as I might have done since most, if not all, of my subsequent 1-1?s contained negative feedback. All but two staff members, gave me the clear impression that they felt it was only me at fault. I just don't understand how I suddenly became such an awful person. And how come there were no such issues in my first 4-5 months? The one-to-one sessions were to focus on my project. However, with all the negativity, I was understandably not mentally prepared in each session to start discussing my project as if nothing had happened. I did the project the best I could and felt I only started to receive proper help after a trial run of the bat survey, (24/04/23), when I had only a day and a half left on base! I knew it needed a lot of work, but I didn't know how to improve it, and spent the rest of my last day working with staff member Kat on my project, instead of joining in with activities to enjoy my last afternoon. I would have preferred to have better help sooner, but I?m pleased with the end result!

It's been an incredible 6 months that's impossible to sum up in words. To say I've loved it is an understatement. This experience has taught me so much. It has given me a much deeper understanding about the realities of wildlife conservation, one that a lecture hall never fully gave me. Being immersed in a culture completely different to my own has also given me new perspectives on the world, in the way that a brief holiday just can't. I've met the most incredible people, made life-long friends, and memories that I will treasure my whole life. It sounds so cheesy, but it really is true. You can't picture it if you've never done it, no words can accurately describe what it's really like, but trust me - it's worth more than you could possibly imagine.

For future participants don't miss out on an amazing journey. This is a very good adventure packed with life enrichment. Hauy Pakoot is a place where when you see it you will not want to leave. The community, the wildlife, and the people you will meet intensifies the experience to greatness.