About 100 Elephants Are Rescued from Flooded Sanctuary: 'Biggest Evacuation We Have Ever Done'

Mar. 15, 2025

Elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand’s northern Chiang Mai province.Photo:HANDOUT/ELEPHANT NATURE PARK/AFP via Getty

This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand’s northern Chiang Mai province. More than 100 elephants in northern Thailand were moved to higher ground to escape rapidly rising flood waters, local media reported, but many other animals were still stuck as their sanctuary struggled to evacuate them on October 4.

HANDOUT/ELEPHANT NATURE PARK/AFP via Getty

An elephant sanctuary in Thailand scrambled to save some of its animals this week, following flooding that inundated the country following a typhoon.

On Thursday, Oct. 3, videos and photos emerged out ofElephant Nature Park, located near the city of Chiang Mai, which showed some of the rescue’s 100 elephants trekking through deep water to find their way to higher grounds away from the park.

An aerial photo taken of the flooding at Elephant Nature Park.HANDOUT/ELEPHANT NATURE PARK/AFP via Getty

This aerial handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows flood waters submerging the sanctuary in Thailand’s northern Chiang Mai province. More than 100 elephants in northern Thailand were moved to higher ground to escape rapidly rising flood waters, local media reported, but many other animals were still stuck as their sanctuary struggled to evacuate them on October 4.

“There are some animals we could not evacuate yesterday," she clarified to the outlet. “Thirteen adult elephants are still trapped in their quarters. They are panicking.”

Park officials later confirmed to the BBC on Friday that the sanctuary has 126 elephants total, nine of which are still stuck on the far side of the park, but are safe.

Chailert also added that she has requested assistance from Thai officials, and is also turning to the public for help, asking for volunteers to help move the animals, financial donations, as well as donations of boats, tarps and cages so that animals can be evacuated.

In a post onFacebook, the Nature Park wrote in Thai that are “urgently need volunteers and animal cages as we must move the animals to the mountains due to the roads being completely cut off in both directions” from a landslide.

Some boats are also needed so that mahouts can stay with the large animals to calm them down while they’re trapped. AnotherFacebookpost shared Friday also shows that the park is in search of one of its elephants, named Fa Sai, after it wandered off amidst the flooding.

“The situation is a lot worse than yesterday,” she told CNN, adding that about 30 foreign volunteers are also trapped at the park, including five Americans.

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According to CNN, theElephant Nature Parkserves as an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center that has rescued more than 200 elephants from working in logging and tourism since Chailert established it in 2003. Many of the elephants residing at the park have disabilities and injuries including blindness.

“Among the evacuated animals, there are many sick elephants, some barely walk," she told the outlet. “We had to help them to get to the foot of the mountain. We are in desperate need for help.”

source: people.com

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