Thailand Wildlife Conservation Short-Term Internship

I did an elephant conservation internship with GVI in Northern Thailand & absolutely loved it. I got to learn so much about elephants and other endangered species in their ecosystem like gibbons. I enjoyed my time on base in the village connecting with people from all around the world and locals, who taught me so much about their culture. I definitely left with a bigger understanding of the difficulties & importance of elephant & biodiversity conservation while gaining insight of a culture that only a few people on this world have heard of. Highly recommend!

My time in Huay Pakoot completing a 3 month internship was probably the best experience of my life. Of course a big factor in this is because the program itself was incredibly interesting, with it truly feeling like you are making a positive impact on the local community and wildlife with every elephant hike being different from the last. The village and its people was something I didn't quite know what to expect before I arrived, and I wasn't sure if I could adapt to the change in lifestyle. However, I could not have been more wrong every villager is so kind and passionate about what they do, never making you feel uneasy and wanting to help you with anything no matter the question in hand. Truly magnificent people. My Homestay with Ki was perfect, every single member of that family made sure I was always okay and felt at home. Always asking about my day and helping me learn the language which I made a fool out of myself obviously a few times trying to speak but no one cares. I love that family and I cannot wait to see them again sometime in the future. Now the other large reason I adored my time in Huay Pakoot is because of the staff. Firstly the program manger Jonny, to simply put it Jonny is GVI Chiang Mai. That man is probably one of the most passionate and dedicated people I've ever seen. He loves Huay Pakoot more than anything, and it translates through his enthusiasm about the program. He (and the rest of the staff as well) are the exact right mixture of being your friend whilst also being in charge and someone you respect. He treats every volunteer the same and tries to get to know about them and get them engaged with the daily activities, whilst also noticing if someone's looking a bit down or an issue has arisen and being able to manage the situation to its best possible outcome. His knowledge of the village and of the the elephants themselves is inspiring with every action of his being something he hopes to positively impact the wildlife there. He was an unbelievable manager and I thank him for making my time so good. Jacob the second in command of GVI Chiang Mai was again a brilliant person. Obviously Jacob was relatively new to his position when I arrived and he really showed why he got that position. Once again the perfect mixture of staff and friend, with him being able to give out directions with sternness if necessary but also would love to chat with you whenever and talk if anything has you down or something isn't quite right. As well as this he is so incredibly passionate about the village and the work they are doing. His passion for the Gibbons was such an amazing feature that I absolutely encouraged, because they are such amazing creatures and actually my one criticism of GVI Chiang Mai is that they are not properly equipped for the Gibbon hikes as although we saw many there weren't enough proper working binoculars and a camera is almost a necessity if working with such amazing creatures with such raw data. Back to Jacob, Jacob is a man I would love to see again no matter the location and I truly loved getting to know him as well as his passion for the program and skill as the Number 2. The staff member Charlie once again knocked it out of the park as a staff member. She again could be an incredible friend whilst also telling me to wise up and not stand so close to the elephant, or where I have to go. She is probably the kindest and most genuine human beings I've ever met, she cares so much about making sure each volunteer is happy and looked after with incredible ability to see if somethings not quite right. She also is quite scarily knowledgeable about each of the elephants, with knowing every single details as well being able to read their behaviour with mental precision. As well as this once again just like Jonny and Jacob she gets on perfectly with the villagers and makes sure that the volunteers try get involved too. She was someone I'd call a good friend and very talented at what she does. Su as a member of staff was exceptional. There are probably few people who I have more time for than Su, she obviously is the sister of Ki whom I was living with, and Su made sure that I was always having the best time in Huay Pakoot and was such a help with me trying to meet villagers and learn the language. As a staff member Su was brilliant with every volunteer helping them adapt to the community and making sure everything was going right in their home stays. She tries so hard to communicate with every person and get to know them even whilst English is her third language. Whilst on hikes her passion for the elephants and the program shines through immensely. I admire Su a great deal and cannot wait to see her again. The final member of the team Boh Duh was once again bloody brilliant, she was such a good teacher of Pakinyaw, as well as trying so hard to learn English herself. She was so kind and devoted to helping the volunteers whilst also being brilliant on hikes in telling us what to do. Again she was so hardworking in getting people involved and helping each volunteer be happy with the program. Boh Duh is an absolute inspiring person and top top staff member. I loved my time in GVI Chiang Mai, it was incredible and I could write for hours about everything else I loved about it, from each villager personally to the foundation and Dee (who is an incredible person). I am so excited to return to Huay Pakoot and I'm so proud to have been apart of it. Thank you to all who made those special 3 months.

GVI has been an amazing experience which has enabled me to explore ethical elephant conservation tourism and research. This village has been great to experience and has opened my eyes to a new culture.