Samui Elephant Sanctuary

Samui Elephant Sanctuary is the first ethical & award winning elephant sanctuary in Koh Samui, Southern Thailand
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Samui Elephant Sanctuary is the first ethical & award winning elephant sanctuary in Koh Samui, Southern Thailand.

03/06/2026

This is Kham Noi now, After 6 years of sanctuary life with us 🤍 🌿
She was born in 1960 and forced to work in the logging industry near Mae Sot, Thailand, until the logging ban in 1989. Following this, she was put to work in a riding camp in Chiang Mai, giving tourists rides for three long decades. So intense was the work, she was still giving rides the day we rescued her 💔
Today, we're reflecting on her journey and how evident it is that Kham Noi's body and mind are feeling the benefits of sanctuary life. She is even starting to spend more and more time with Jamie and Bua Toom.
Follow for updates on their friendship! 🐘🩶

02/06/2026

Update time! Remember this video? We rescued Ma Mai last year. A 20-hour journey from Koh Chang to Koh Samui, which included two ferry crossings. She arrived safely at Samui Elephant Sanctuary, Chaweng Noi.

Ma Mai is settling in well and enjoys exploring the forest. She has come out of her shell in many ways, being playful and lively, and friendly towards the other elephants. She enjoys foraging for natural vegetation, and loves bananas, watermelons, and the bark and leaves of certain trees.

She was rescued from the island of Koh Chang, where she had been forced to give rides to tourists for over two years. We brought her here because she was at risk of being sold to yet another trekking camp—a future that would have meant carrying tourists on her back, day after day.

Follow her journey for regular updates 💚🐘

30/05/2026

Humans saw this.. and decided to put chains on them. Not only that. They decided to put chains on her, our sweet Sompan. Gradually, we are seeing an end to the exploitation of elephants, but the fight for them is far from over. Here's some things you can do to help secure a safer future for elephants:

Do not ride elephants ⛔
Do not bathe elephants 🙅
Do not support circuses or similar entertainment activities where elephants are performing tricks (e.g. painting or spinning hoops)
Do not support a sanctuary that is not chain-free ⛓️
Be very wary of sanctuaries with baby elephants. This can indicate breeding or separating mother from baby
Report and avoid elephant tourism attractions where bullhooks or other intimidating and painful tools are being used
Report and avoid elephant tourism attractions where elephants display signs of stereotypical behaviour such as swaying
Help educate others by having conversations about this 💬
Donate to ethical initiatives 💚
If posting a photo with an elephant, add educational context to the caption 📷
Sign petitions for the welfare of elephants ✍️

29/05/2026

After 55 years of exploitation, Kham Paeng finds joy swimming in our sanctuary's pool. After decades of giving rides to tourists in Krabi and Phuket, the water is a long-awaited release for her back and joints.

28/05/2026

After half a century of abuse and exploitation, Bua Toom, Jamie, and Kham Noi have been rescued, brought to Samui Elephant Sanctuary, and have now formed a firm friendship 🤎 Playing in the mud together is a strong bonding social interaction within herds, and it puts a smile on our faces everytime they gather to do this. 🐘

27/05/2026

This hot weather has got us all wishing for water and mud baths! 🤎

25/05/2026

It's time to normalise observing elephants bathing, and end hands-on bathing. Here, Lam Yai enjoys the freedom of exploring the water alone.

The tourist activity of elephant bathing is where tourists wash elephants in mud, water and soap. It is not ethical, and is harmful to the elephants' skin. Furthermore, animals treated as tourism props can become stressed, stripped from their natural behaviours.

You may have seen the news that, tragically, a woman and elephant were recently killed in Dubare Elephant Camp in southern India, during this tourist activity. This is a firm reminder of the urgent need for all elephant bathing to ended.

24/05/2026

With a single trunk-full of the earth, Kham Kaew helps regulate her body temperature, exfoliate, and protect her skin from the sun and parasites. All this from a simple dust bath 🤎

22/05/2026

Just Kham Kaew and Cartoon using mud and trees (and everything in-between!) to scratch their itches 🌍🫶

Considering their size and weight, elephants are very nifty when it comes to sorting out an itch. They get creative, often using the strength of trees to lean and scratch their body against 🪾

21/05/2026

It is vital, when elephants are rescued from labour and exploitation, that they are introduced to a new mahout. This is because in the breaking of an elephant's spirit as a baby ('Phajaan'), elephants are tortured and then 'set free' by their new mahout, cementing an attachment to the mahout as their 'saviour'. They can then go on to experience abuse from this mahout for years - even decades - from verbal aggression to the use of bullhooks and other punishing devices.
When brought to a sanctuary, peace, safety and space to heal are top priorities, and for that reason, the previous mahout must stay in the elephants' past. This way avoids their trauma being reopened again and again 🙏
Here, Suda shows a valuable and trusting relationship formed between her and her mahout here at Samui Elephant Sanctuary. 🐘🌊