On the 22nd September GVI staff, volunteers and interns will be spending 24 hours living as an elephant in a tourist camp to raise money for our GVI Trust. In this 24 hour challenge our 'elephants' will perform tasks such as being forced to paint pictures, various impressive balancing acts, hauling heavy weights, piggyback rides and they will be forced to stay awake for as long as possible with little access to food and water. 

The reason we are doing this challenge is because unfortunately this is how many Asian elephants live their lives. We have put our own twist on these tasks and aim to experience just for one day what many elephants experience every day of their lives.

The funds that we raise through the GVI Trust will contribute to keeping three of our elephants here in the forests of Huay Pakoot. These three elephants have been funded entirely through the GVI Trust which is an amazing feat! So please help us to keep them here where they belong. 

Here is a little summary of exactly which elephants you will be helping:

Lulu, our youngest elephant, has been able to roam the forest with her grandmother and mother since her arrival on project in 2012. Just recently, Lulu’s father also joined the GVI herd so it is vital that we allow Lulu to continue to live with her family where she belongs. 

Sah Jah, one of our more vocal elephants spends her days in close proximity to her best friend Kha Moon. Sah Jah is also a bit of a social
butterfly and often switches between herds depending on where her mood takes her. She is often seen acting as a mother figure to the younger elephants we have as part of the GVI herds.

Khum Suk is the matriarch of our herd and grandmother to our
gorgeous Lulu. Khum Suk spends her days foraging alongside her daughter Kha Moon and they’re never found far from one another.  As matriarch, she is extremely knowledgeable and the other elephants will follow her lead in the best routes to take, as well as learning which foods are the tastiest as they roam throughout the forest. She is a very important figure in our elephant herds here, as matriarch and as part of her family.

The GVI Trust has also been able to help us to support the elephants and their mahouts in other ways. Thanks to GVI Trust we are able to provide emergency transport for the elephants should they need treatment in hospital in addition to supporting the mahouts with their living costs during the elephants' hospital stay. This ensures that our elephants are healthy, have access to the best health care and that the mahouts are not put out of pocket by expensive veterinary bills.

Our volunteers, interns and staff will be putting themselves through some difficult challenges all in the name of elephant welfare. So please show your support for our elephants and our project by helping us reach our goal of £2000 whatever you can, every little helps!

We appreciate any help you can give us to keep our beautiful Lulu, Sah Jah and Khum Suk here in the forests of Huay Pakoot.