Lek Chailert and the elephants of northern Thailand

Thailand's elephants have long worked in logging, tourism and entertainment, and the question of how to treat them now sits behind many a traveller's decision. One of the best-known Thai figures in the debate is Saengduean 'Lek' Chailert, the founder of Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai.

According to the park's own website, Elephant Nature Park was founded in 2003 in northern Thailand and describes itself as the first elephant sanctuary of its kind in Asia. It says the aim is to rescue and rehabilitate elephants that were used for street begging, riding and circus-style shows, and to let them live a free-roaming life. The herds include blind, crippled, orphaned and elderly animals. The park says it also wants to educate visitors about the endangered Asian elephant.

Accounts of Lek's earlier life differ. Intrepid Travel's profile says she rescued her first elephant in 1992 and set up the park three years later, while an American newspaper account from 2008 puts the founding in 1996. The park's own page gives 2003, which probably marks the move to its permanent site. We have therefore avoided relying on any single date for her early work. Several profiles trace her interest to her grandfather's elephant, which she loved as a child.

For a traveller, the useful lesson is about choosing carefully. Look for a sanctuary that does not offer rides or performances, that explains what happens to the elephants, and that is open about its costs. Ask whether visitor numbers are limited and whether elephants can choose to walk away. Read independent reviews, and be sceptical of any place that promises a close hug or a quick selfie.

Elephant tourism is a debated and changing field, and not every observer agrees about every sanctuary. We offer this profile as one view of an issue worth reading about before you book.