Mahouts Elephant Foundation

Founded on patience and peace and built through hard work and trust we are a foundation that works through groundbreaking collaborations with local communities fostering harmony and protecting Asian elephants and the communities that coexist with them. Our mission is to work toward a shift in attitude within tourism that facilitates the return of captive, working elephants to a protected forest habitat. MEF works on the ground to develop sustainable, welfare-focused tourist experiences supporting the needs and livelihoods of the indigenous mahouts, their families, and local communities, together with the needs of the elephants. We work with a unique safari-style model of elephant tourism in direct partnership with mahouts, empowering them with the tools they require to support their families and their elephants in their home village, rather than selling their elephants or employing them to work near big cities. The pilot project works with the Karen hill tribe mahouts in northern Thailand, but it is designed for replication throughout elephant rangeland. This multifaceted approach achieves many things: It cuts off the supply of elephants to the tourism industry, stops the demand of tourists by offering ethical alternatives, brings a sustainable source of income to impoverished communities, and provides science-based evidence showing good elephant welfare. We complement our industry disrupting tourism model with a scientific research program collaborating with international experts to expand the current body of knowledge on Asian elephant behavior and biology. We partner with progressive companies and industry stakeholders to leverage much needed funding for work with unparalleled impact and potential. If you are interested in learning more about the CSR and PR benefits of a Mahouts Elephant Foundation Partnership, contact sarah@mahouts.org