Establishment of a Group for Conservation of Livelihoods and Traditional Elephant Keeping Traditions in the village of Moo Ban Huay

Pak Koot Establishment of the conservation group: Huay Pak Koot village is a location with more than 60 elephants but 93% of the elephants in the village work in different locations far from the village. The style of working in different locations is in conflict with the natural lives of elephants such as forcing the elephants to perform which require the elephants to train purely for the enjoyment of human tourists. 1. Elephants and their mahout are forced to leave their families to go work elsewhere. 2. Many elephant camps do not look after the elephants well. Food is not enough for the elephants. 3. Elephant food at the elephant camps lacks diversity. The elephants eat only sugar cane, bananas and grass. 4. Elephants develop medical problems from working hard and dont get enough food. Some elephants are stressed from having to eat while chained in one place, particularly the young and elderly elephants. 5. Elderly elephants are not able to work at elephant camps normally but if the elephant returns to the village the villagers do not money to take care of the elephant without means of alternative income. The community has seen these problems first hand and have heard about them second hand. The community had a meeting to discuss these particular issues in order to help the elephants and their elephant owners. The community has dealt with these issues by bringing the elephants back to the village and organizing activities to conserve elephant keeping traditions in the forest. The community has organized home stays to house visitors to the village. The people of Huay Pak Koot see many positive benefits from bringing the elephants back to the village. Benefits expected to be gained by the conservation group: 1. It is a way to conserve local livelihoods and elephant raising traditions in the forest that have been used by generations in the past. 2. The community will serve as a tourist center for conservation. The elephants return to the forest and can forage for food with mahouts to stay near as care takers. They wont use chains to keep elephants in one place all the time. There wont be any elephant riding for tourists. 3. It will improve the health of elephants as the elephants are in their natural surroundings and are able to eat a variety of foods found in the forest. A group of volunteers doing research in the area found that elephants have access to about 70 different types of plant food in the forests around Huay Pak Koot. 4. It allows elephants and their mahouts to come back to work in their own community 5. It is open for tourists and for researchers to learn about elephants such as elephants behavior in the forest, elephant food, herbal medicine for elephants as well as spreading the culture of Karen elephant keeping traditions. 6. Allowing the community to gain income from tourists who come to the village to join elephant activities. 7. The community can train young new mahouts in order to pass on the tradition of elephant keeping onto future generations. 8. Keeping elephants in the forest helps keep a healthy forest. As the elephants walk through the forest they open up areas for more new trees to grow 9. This project will help to increase the momentum of the elephant conservation movement to the public and for future generations as elephants are at risk of extinction.

The purpose of the conservation group: 1. The group provides a center for learning about the livelihoods and traditions of elephant keeping traditionally used in local villages including; keeping elephants in the forest, herbal medicines for elephants, the tradition of bringing the elephants back to the community or what is referred to as Karen elephant husbandry. 2. It is a center for learning about herbal medicines used by and given to elephants following the Karen tradition. 3. Opportunities for training new young mahouts from village youth. 4. Care for and serving as a center for helping to care for elephants in the group such as getting sick elephants to the elephant hospital or getting regular health checks for all elephants every 6 months. 5. Serving as a platform to accept donations for bringing new elephants into the group. 6. Organizing tourist activities that are line with conservation such as walks in the forest with the elephants, not keeping the elephants chained in place all the time and not allowing tourists to ride the elephants. 7. Overseeing elephant care and allowing the community to gain income from tourist activities so elephants do not have to travel to camps to work. Rules and Regulations: 1. Members shall be people in the village. 2. All members must pay a joining fee of 100 baht. 3. Elephant owners interested in joining the group need to apply for entry in advance for the committee to decide. Once they are approved entry into the group elephant owners must sign a contract for 2 years and pay a deposit of 8,000 baht. The committee will keep the deposit until the end of the contract to encourage that elephants joining the group do not leave to work at another location. 4. Consideration will be taken for elephants entering the group. Special consideration will be taken for elephants that arent healthy, mothers with infants, elderly elephants and unemployed elephants. 5. Elephants that wish to leave the group must give notice at least 6 months in advance or they will lose their deposit. 6. The group will have a meeting on the 1st day of every month. 7. Members of the group must attend every meeting. Anyone who is unable to attend must send a representative that is able to make decisions in place of the member. 8. One elephant can only take 5 customers at a time. 9. Revenues of the project will be divided as follows: 9.1. All donations will be divided into 2 groups: - Funds for elephants in the group that are sick, for medicine or for other expenses. - To pay monthly salary to pay for elephants, mahouts and elephant food at a rate of no more than 7,500 baht per month. 9.2 Income from tours - 200 baht for the elephant - 100 baht for the trip organizer and guide 9.3 Income from goods sold by the group, after base costs of goods are taken off, will be kept by the group to cover costs and events. 10. The conservation group will open 2 bank accounts; 10.1 One account for donations to help the elephants from individual donors or other organizations. 10.2 One account to keep profits from sale of goods from the group which will be saved until they are used for withdrawals, payments or expenses to cover costs and cover events organized by the group. 11. There will always be a local guide with customers for tours of the village, hikes in forest or walks with the elephants.

12. Customers should not be allowed to walk with the elephants alone. Names of the President and the Board of Directors of the conservation group 1. Mr. Sinchai Jalernbanpot (President) Sinchai 2. Mr. Duangjan Thammachatmanee (Vice President) 3. Mr. Nawapon Chuensuklertgomon (Secretary) 4. Miss Aree Chutimajiraporn (Treasurer) Aree 5. Mr. Dawong Chuensuklergomon (Treasurer) Damrong 6. Mr. Pawaeka Thongkhakna (Committee Member) Chat 7. Mr. Somsak Nathwichianruthotgaran (Committee Member) 8. Mr. Somchai Kwanworawana (Committee Member) Somchai 9. Miss Ubonwan Wirakwamdee (Committee Member) Dow 10. Mr. Jirayut Thammachatmanee (Committee Member) Projects consultants for local ceremonies and culture: 1 . Mr Manit Jalernbanpot 2. Nornaijai Nathwichianruthotgaran Pah Luang Chats Mom