Thailand, Oct 07 -
While looking for beautiful products handmade by artisans in villages needing sustainable income, we came across this refuge camp for elephants in Northern Thailand. With camcorder in hand we began to witness an elephant painting an "Oh my God" image of an elephant.
Some months later, we put a portion of the video on YouTube and we were deeply touched by people's reactions. Some cried in awe, some were amazed, most found an expanded appreciation of animals and our relationship with each other and the planet. Some thought it was fake and cruel.
There have been more than 11 million views with more than 19,400 comments and 1,500 blogs.
We came across this camp where elephants have been rescued from abuse in Burma and Thailand. The owner/operator is a very tender hearted woman who loves the animals and feels pain when her elephant camp is unjustifiably grouped with other camps and/or individuals where animal abuse is tolerated (it does exist and our goal is to educate and help stop cruel practices).
We have done research and investigation into the camp’s training techniques and we have not observed any abuse. The elephants seem happy and well cared for. We cannot speak for other camps or individuals.
Unfortunately, there are many domesticated elephants that need rescue from the logging industry, street beggars, etc. and we will repair some of this damage and help prevent future abuse. This takes a lot of effort, money and a willingness to stand up against many opinions, and our actions are, along with other Conservation projects, to raise funds to stop cruel practices.
We support Fair Trade practices and provide Fair Trade wages to all of our artists, good working conditions and no child labor. In addition to fair wages, we also contribute to humanitarian projects that directly help the people. Depending on the cost of the labor, materials, import/export fees, tariffs, and necessary expenses, 25% to 50% of the selling price of each item is given to the artist and related humanitarian projects.
For the elephants, one of our favorite animals, we are excited about supporting them with as much as possible.
We traveled back to Thailand in order to document and video the training process, the habitat, and personnel at the elephant camp. So stay in contact here as we share more about what we observed and learned.
Please help us to direct interested people to our website where they can get more information about the elephants and learn more about what we are doing in the world.
Our mission is to empower consumers to connect with small scale artisans around the world and by purchasing their products through ExoticWorldGifts.com to participate in providing them with sustainable income. We care deeply about animals and the overall health of our planet - our products are produced and distributed with minimal environmental impact. As we expand our respect for animals and all life, we expand our respect for ourselves and other people. At that moment, the world becomes a better place.
Forever,
Mark & Liz
