Global Travel Kit & Elephants - A Chiang Mai Love Story
I had only been in Chiang Mai for a few days when I decided to go to an elephant sanctuary and spend a day with a group of rescued elephants. It's still one of the most memorable experiences and the highlight of my trip to Chiang Mai.
We drove about an hour out of the city, until we reached a park in the middle of the jungle. As soon as we arrived, a little baby elephant came running towards us to greet us. Needless to stay, I spent the next few hours completely in love with Ran-tong (the baby elephants name) and all the other rescue elephants. When you look in their eyes you see wisdom, love and kindness and you wonder how anyone could ever want to harm them. Sadly, it happens a lot.
Having spent significant time in Chiang Mai over the years, I've visited several elephant sanctuaries in that time, and come to understand that the exploitation of elephants in Thailand through tourist trekking camps, circus shows, and street begging is a big problem. Not everyone is aware of this but riding elephants in Thailand or any other parts of Asia, is not only harmful to the elephants but it also fuels elephant cruelty. In Thailand alone, there are over 200 captive elephants in need of rescue from decades of abuse and suffering. Baby elephants are taken away from their mothers, beaten and forced to perform tricks causing them to get serious injuries.
This month, we're pleased to share that we have teamed up with a wonderful foundation SaveElephant.org that rescue and rehabilitate elephants all over Thailand.
When I first learned about the work of the founder Sangdeaun Lek Chailert, (pictured below) I immediately knew I wanted to help.
Not only does she go through extreme measures to improve the lives of captive elephants, she also supports efforts to conserve Southeast Asia's rainforests, under served schools, and provide local communities with a mobile veterinary clinic, offering free care to the animals.
Chiang Mai is also where I collaborated with a group of hill-tribe artisan women to make our first Global Travel Kit bag. (Read story a few posts back) so to continue our love for Chiang Mai and support the world's most majestic creatures, we're donating 25% of all the Global Travel Kit sales to SaveElephant.org
If you want to help me support these majestic beings and get a beautiful handwoven travel bag (Including beautiful travel-size products of the Global Beauty Collection) there has never been a better time!
For more information and to purchase the Global Travel Kit please see our product page.
If you happen to be in the Los Angeles area on April 17th, there is a fundraising event, TRUNKS UP Los Angeles for the founder Lek Chailert. See the details below.
I'll end this post with a quote that touched my heart by the founder of Save Elephant, Lek Chailert
"They are the colors of the planet. They are beautiful. If we want to protect them, we have to do it now." - Lek Chailert
Love,
Photo of Lek Chailert credit: Kwaku Alston