THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: Very few visitors to Thailand complete their stay without coming into contact with a Thai elephant (Elephant maximus or Asian Elephant), or Chang as they are called locally.

Once the backbone of the Thai military and the logging industry, elephant numbers in Thailand have dropped from between 100,000 to 300,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to between 2,500 and 4,000 today.

While the Thai elephant is accorded the honor of a national birthday in recognition of its place in Thai society, culture and history, little has been done in the past to ease the burden aging or disabled elephants become to their owners.

This will all change on November 21 when Thailand’s first home for aged and disabled elephants opens in the northern Thailand province of Lampang.

The Pang-La Nursery Home for Aged Elephants has been established on 160ha (395acre) in Ngao district and will be operated by the Forest Industry Organisation (FIO).

When the home opens next month there will be 30 residents, the oldest being 72-years-old, but FIO chief Manoonsak Tantiwiwat said there is capacity to host up to 200 elephants.

The elephant retirement center is staffed with veterinarians and a group of experienced mahouts to ensure the well-being of its guests, and will also grow a range of food such as grass, banana trees, pineapple trees, and traditional herbs to improve the elephants’ health.

Visitors to Thailand will be able to visit the Pang-La Nursery Home for Aged Elephants following it’s opening, though don’t expect to be offered elephant rides or see elephants painting.

The FIO currently cares for more than 300 Thai elephants and next year plans to establish an elephant hospital in the southern Thailand province of Krabi.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for October 20, 2009