BATH TIME WITH ELEPHANTS! | Phuket, Thailand's Elephant Sanctuary

[@simonmekonen5853]

@The Black Forest Family unfortunately any "sanctuary" that allows you to get close, bathe with etc. are elephant show 2.0. I was at one in koh samui, and our tranaport was late (needed the childseat) and I witnessed the staff taking the elephants to roll in the mud so the next guests could watch the elephants take a mud bath (same thing we witnessed 2hours earlier). I would recommend only visiting sanctuaries that don't allow any close contact with the animals. I wanted to help support the elephant sanctuary, unfortunately it was not a sanctuary :-(

[@Tracydot3]

100% Any "sanctuaries" that force the wild animals to interact with humans is not a real sanctuary.

[@abarker3366]

Hello! After living in Thailand for 4 years, it’s a tricky place to trust anything saying they are a sanctuary. There are a small few that truly are doing good things. I have not heard of the one you visited. I would definitely watch the mahoot closely and see how they manage the elephants. Sadly, there is no way to support the elephants now that they are domesticated other than through tourism. You are right. I felt safe and comfortable supporting Elephant Nature Park and I Love Phants. Anyway, we have since moved to Germany and your videos have helped us transition through the complete culture shock.

[@Tracydot3]

This is not a sanctuary, this is another fake sanctuary that is exploiting animals for profit.

[@chrisk5651]

I’m not sure why they would take a kid that young anyway.

[@SirHeinzbond]

recently i learned that this flapping of the ears is a sign of excitement and joy by elephants, so they had their fun too:)

[@jonfreeman9682]

Just amazing. Truly God's majestic creatures and we must all give respect. Definitely on my bucket list of places to visit if I can save enough money. Just amazing.

[@KarlWoda]

the elephant is so clean, probably the cleanest this day. you did a good job.

[@jensschroder8214]

That's practical. A shower for elephants and humans!

[@TypeAshton]

hahaha right?! So fun.

[@wendyschneider1252]

Very cool place! Thank you for sharing it with us. And thank you for supporting their wonderful work!

[@TypeAshton]

Thanks so much for watching! We are so happy we went.

[@islandgurl4123]

Such an amazing experience that will be remembered for a lifetime

[@hans-dieternichau5467]

Oh man was für ein schönes Erlebnis 🤩🤩🤩diese riesigen Tiere und dann der kleine man auf Mutters Arm der keine Angst hatte ,ich hatte große Freude an dem Video danke das ich dabei sein konnte ! Alleine die Gegend ist so schön ,ich denke man möchte überhaupt nicht wieder weg von dort ! Aber es ist immer wieder eine Reise wert ! Wie schön doch die Welt sein kann ! Das gefährlichste Lebewesen auf diesem Planeten ist leider der Mensch 😭😭

[@edithmanantan4037]

Thank you so much i got idea where to go.my daughter and I will visit Phuket in January and looking forward for this amazing journey

[@TobisKitchen-94]

Wow this looks amazing! 🐘

[@knupelhodler4402]

I‘ve heard a lot of new things about elephants. Thank you so much for that video.

[@TypeAshton]

so glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you so much!!

[@xn7270]

This was definitely a rarity to see thanks for sharing! It almost seemed like it would be therapeutic to interact with the elephants and spend time with them! Jack certainly seemed to have fun 😊

[@TypeAshton]

It was such a wonderful time. Jack was definitely a bit scared at first but he really warmed up to them by the end.

[@robertzander9723]

I'm so happy for you guys having such wonderful time on vacation, you really deserve it. That must be an amazing experience being so close to these awesome huge animals. It's so lovely to see that people care about these incredible beings and help them to get finally a good life that they deserve. Thanks a lot for sharing 👍

[@TypeAshton]

So glad you enjoyed it. We were SO happy to have been able to do this and it really was the highlight of our trip.

[@robertzander9723]

@@TypeAshton I can imagine that it was a real highlight. Watching your son doing it was really exciting too

[@roberthernandez2989]

Great video. Enjoy your time.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you! We had a great time.

[@arnodobler1096]

I am jealous - find elephants so great and fascinating.😍

[@TypeAshton]

Us too! We LOVED this. Highly, highly recommend.

[@jensbeislein3250]

Cool to see you there. We stayed at the same sanctuary last december and loved it too. Enjoy the rest of your trip

[@TypeAshton]

Ah amazing!! So glad you loved it too. It is so great.

[@howierfs5471]

Thanks for sharing. Well, elephants are really amazing animals, not only because of their size. Their family bond, their behaviour in a group is amzing and I believe we humans still can learn a lot. I am sure both sides enjoyed the mud bath and felt happy. I love thai food and looked delicious. Hope you really enjoyed the short time from the rat race back home.

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you! We had a WONDERFUL time and really enjoyed ourselves.

[@Pronwan]

Omg, I miss Thailand so much... Great video, thank you for sharing this experience!

[@TypeAshton]

We really loved it. It was so amazing.

[@mummamarsh1180]

Thank you for extra video with the elephants, very enjoyable. Not sure I would be comfortable slushing around in the muddy waters with such big elephants . Good to see you guys getting involved though. Baby elephants maybe 🤔

[@TypeAshton]

So glad you enjoyed it!! Jack really loved getting to see the elephants and we were so surprised at how brave he was at the end.

[@rebeccarendle3706]

Guys.. Love this🐘👍.. So glad these types of animal🐘 welfare tourist trips are organized👏 (Instead of animal exploitation with eg elephant rides through the jungle😢) .. Well done guys..thanks for supporting and showing this👏👍😊

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much! We researched this specific sanctuary before we went to be sure it's legitimate. There are plenty of 'sanctuaries' in southeast Asia which are horrible.

[@atilladebbag7356]

When we had our trip to Thailand we saw an Elephant parked in a street in Bangkok, it was quite a surprise for us. 🙂

[@TypeAshton]

Woah! That is so interesting!

[@pro4v]

Thanks for sharing

[@Icy_Sparks]

hi, happy to see you guys made it back safely. I'm the guy who approached you in the grocery store in the city. I didn't want to disturb your shopping trip but I just couldn't resist, I had to say hi. 😆

[@TypeAshton]

Hi there!! Thanks so much for coming up and saying hello. We always love to meet people while we are out and about. ❤️ Hope you have a great rest of your week.

[@REMYDANN]

What happy memories for your son

[@TypeAshton]

The smile on his face when we were feeding the elephants was so priceless. He was a littler nervous at first but ended up loving it by the end.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

As someone whose earlies memories also come from vacations at that age, I'm sure he will remember some of it. Most definately the Elephants.

[@Miristzuheiss]

Reisen bildet! German saying So importend for children learning other cultures, food, people is normal in the world. This makes empathic for the whole life. Not saying you have to travel, only visiting streetpartys with food and music listening from other lands opening your mind and horizont

[@Tomm9y]

I had no idea such places existed.

[@borjap9927]

Hi, could you give me exactly the name and direction of the Elephant Sanctuary? All the names are very similar and I wouldnt like to go to the wrong one.

[@pheumann86]

It's so funny. The day you uploaded your last video we had just arrived in Phuket and were still quarantined till our PCR results came through. When the cicadas started their noise in your background I thought "No way, I know that sound, I was greeted by that when we entered our (open) hotel lobby... They can't be in Thailand!?" Had myself a little chuckle when it turned out that I identified those cicadas correctly 😁

[@TypeAshton]

hahah that's so awesome!! I hope you are enjoying Thailand. We had the most wonderful time.

[@pheumann86]

@@TypeAshtonWe are and I'm so happy that the three of you had such a great time here as well!

[@sapnagoyal5734]

How much time this full activity take? I have 9 month baby so just wanted to know so that I go with full preparation.

[@TypeAshton]

Excluding transportation, it took about 2 hours. Our child was 16 months when we were there and it was pretty acceptable for him.

[@HaileyPaz]

Where is this? i would like to visit

[@TypeAshton]

www.green-elephantsanctuarypark.com/en/

[@juergenurbas6395]

Jack ist schon so groß geworden- kein Baby mehr. Jetzt Kleinkind ❤️

[@ingekoschmidder6424]

Unfortunately, until the elephants behave like this, they are treated very badly for a long time. I would not recommend this form of vacation. In a true sanctuary, you are not allowed to touch the animals (for good reason).

[@wonka6848]

I also see such places very critically. Not sure what is harder and more stressy for the elephants: Pulling lockwood out of the forest or being surrounded by multiple several people all day, touching them, etc. At the end they do nothing else than earning money for their new owners. No hate against you, Black Forest Family, but I think most Germans think differently about that topic than you do.

[@TypeAshton]

Hi there. I totally understand your concern and it was something we tried to also do our research on before we left. In Thailand, most sanctuaries are not for profit organizations or charities. They money that they make from allowing tourists to visit is spent on taking care of the elephants and providing food, shelter, and healthcare for the elephants and mahouts who live out their lives on the sanctuary taking care of a single elephant 24/7. In an ideal world (which, unfortunately we do not live in), there would be no interaction between tourists and elephants at all. However, with little money from the government and currently zero sanctuaries currently in operation that are able to keep their doors open on donations alone, places like this have to exist if they are able to rehabilitate abused elephants from the circus and logging sector. The Green Elephant Sanctuary in Phuket continually tops the list of the most ethical organizations in operation by multiple tourism organizations: www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/elephant-conservation/travel-guide/elephant-sanctuaries-which-we-do-and-dont-support tourismteacher.com/unethical-elephant-sanctuaries-in-thailand/

[@wonka6848]

@@TypeAshton Thanks for your response. I also googled for it, especially for "Green Elephant Sanctuary Kritik" but found nothing any animal protection organization wrote about it. So it really doesn't seem to be one of these places I saw on TV or read on the internet, where the animals are grown up to earn money. If someone has other information, I would be interested. Great that you informed yourself in advance and didn't do it spontaniously following a guy that talked to you on the streets of Phuket.

[@JasmineJashaeee]

Such a great experience I’m heading to Thailand next month what’s the name of this place ?

[@dareel0n3]

Can I ask for the name of this elephant sanctuary? And would you recommend it? My wife and I are planning on a trip to Phuket later this year!

[@Tracydot3]

Don't go there, it's an elephant exploitation business. Stay away from zoos, safaris, and other wildlife attractions because you are supporting wildlife trafficking and wildlife abuse. If you want to see wild animals, go to a national park. There are many tours that will take you to see wild animals.

[@tayfuyung]

I enjoyed this video sooo much!!!! Amazing energy!!! New subscriber now ☺️☺️

[@TypeAshton]

Awe wow! Thank you so much!

[@sarahlou5777]

Would you mind me asking for some advice we were looking at going to Thailand next month with my 18 month old. Iv just spoke to out pharmacy which had recommended a lot of vaccines for the adult not the baby, did you find you needed anything to travel there x

[@dianabanarsee4817]

Hi. What’s the name of the elephant sanctuary?

[@anisaromano5352]

How do they determine when the rescued elephants are ready to be around tourists?

[@TypeAshton]

That's a great question. From what we were told, it takes years and some elephants never are brought around visitors. Some of the elephants were badly abused and simply come to the sanctuary to live out the rest of their life relaxing. But those who are friendly and enjoy being around the visitors, it is a way for them to keep doing what they are doing. In addition to the upfront costs of running the sanctuary, each elephant has their own mahout who lives on site with their elephant 24/7. So the funding also provides housing, food, and healthcare for the mahouts and elephants alike.

[@kupolove5122]

Is the xxl shower safe? If it gets inside the mouth?

[@marie9814]

weren't you scared? I mean, elephants are big, wild animals. I think I would have been afraid that one of them would snap. Nevertheless these are very special memories to make.

[@TypeAshton]

The entire experience felt very safe. They gave us good tips before hand on how to approach them and each elephant was always accompanied by their own Mahout who was always in communication with their elephant and us. They do have a couple of new rescues who are still very skittish around humans because they used to associate humans with pain... those elephants aren't brought around the visitors until they are able to trust new people.

[@loltldr8]

Hey, you two seem very nice and since you have a lot of subscribers/views I just want to make you aware of the potential impact you can have by promoting this/any elephant "sanctuary". Please do further research as to whether 50 stranges bathing an elephant every day is actually good for them or just a tourist attraction. You might have gotten a good experience, but the elephants might not have. All the best to you and the family!

[@Tracydot3]

Exactly!

[@fishtropicalpacific4161]

The owner of this place, he kicked a woman at the beach . He came from Switzerland. He’s a bad guy.

[@pauleagle6281]

The word... sanctuary..is misleading. Actually its elephant tourism business. Elephants were rented out from other place. The land here is too expensive to make elephant sanctuary site.

[@ellezinn9850]

A true elephant sanctuary would not force elephants to be bathed and fed by people. Do research. Don't be fooled.

[@TypeAshton]

We did our research on this one and have had many others tell us that this place does indeed look legitimate. You're right though, everyone needs to do their research.

[@นิน-ฦ4ป]

Thailand news 28 Feb 2024 , Swiss man kicked Thai female doctor from behind because she was sitting on the steps at the public beach and said she blocked his view (steps is illegally built ) guess who? he is the man who pretending loving an elephant and get donations money.

[@pauleagle6281]

Did you check how many elephants were rented out from other places.

[@chrisk5651]

I have a Cannondale bike!!!

[@Commentator541]

I came here to troll, but you really seem like you genuinely understand the situation the animals are in.

[@mrrishiraj88]

👍

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you!

[@davidgolojuch615]

You should not support the elephant industrie at all in Thailand. The most "sanctuaries" are there for the tourist and not for the elephants. There are some real sanctuarie they are just to look at like in a zoo no touching/feeding/riding. If no one books this there is no need for real sanctuaries.

[@TypeAshton]

Yes the elephants used for riding purposes and other circuses are some of the rescues in this sanctuary. However, they also have other elephants which were rescued from the logging industry in Thailand as well. In those businesses, they use elephants to haul large timber from the forests. Really heartbreaking.

[@davidgolojuch615]

I worked as an travel Agent. When we talked about Thailand our supervisor just said do not suggest any elephant sanctuaries. The good sanctuaries just need donations no visitors.

[@VaenaVanadis]

Best rule of thumb is: When you can touch, cuddle or have any close contact with the animals, its not a sanctuary.

[@cak4539]

If they are allowing and encouraging people to bathe an elephant and have close contact with them then it is not a sanctuary. Just because they label themselves as a "sanctuary" doesn't mean they are. All elephants want is their freedom and to be left alone to live their lives in a herd. They don't want constant human contact day in and day out.

[@Ramirezz11]

@@TypeAshton ik its quite late but wanna tell u its ok to support. These elephant are domestic for generation. They cannot live alone in the jungle. If no tourism they gonna sent to do bad thing cause the owner doesn’t have money to feed them.

[@robertmcgee7083]

So I’d like to know how you two got living and work permits in Germany, when I lived there it wasn’t easy to get. How did the two of you get German passports, I never knew any American ex pats with German passports unless they had a mother or father that were German. You tell all the good things about being in Germany, but no nothing about the negative. Most places are great when you have money.

[@TypeAshton]

Jonathan got his permanent residence permit in Germany because his employer moved him to the German office 9 years ago. I (Ashton) currently only hold a temporary residence permit since I have only lived in Germany for 3.5 years. However, I will qualify for permanent residence later this year since I pass the language test and will complete my PhD at a German University later next month. As far as the passports are concerned, only our son is eligible since he was born in Germany after we had lived here for over 7 years. We plan on applying for dual citizenship, if the current plans from the coalition government go through to allow permanent residents the option again.

[@robertmcgee7083]

@@TypeAshton good luck to you guys.

[@ThomasKossatz]

Elephants seem to have a long mempry. So, should you re-visit the place in a few years, they all will demand from you to know each and every name of the animals! Better write them down 🤣🤣 I have a message frOm my member of parliament for you . What is the best way to send you this as a private messageß

[@TypeAshton]

Hey who knows! I know this was certainly a memory we will never forget. Please reach out to us via email: [e-mail]