When it comes to elephant care, even India—home to the largest population of Asian elephants—can learn from Thailand. The Kingdom is currently hosting             a team of Indian mahouts and elephant handlers for advanced training in healthcare, ethical management, and conservation practices for elephants.

The Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang Province, northern Thailand, is welcoming a delegation of 18 members from Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost and largest state. This marks the second such visit from Tamil Nadu, following a successful training of 13 Indian participants in 2023.

An Indian government official noted that the hands-on experience would contribute to raising standards in elephant care across Tamil Nadu’s forest camps.   The initiative aims to blend the traditional knowledge of Indian mahouts with modern conservation techniques and global best practices, helping to further professionalize the field.

Elephants hold deep cultural and spiritual significance in both Thailand and India. Thailand once featured an elephant on its national flag when it was known as Siam, while India has designated the elephant as a National Heritage Animal. Today, the elephant is also recognized as Thailand’s National Animal.

Despite this shared reverence, elephant populations in both countries have declined over the past century due to habitat loss. As forests and jungles have been developed into agricultural or urban areas, natural habitats for elephants have diminished significantly.

In response to these challenges, both nations have made dedicated efforts to conserve and protect their elephant populations.

India remains home to the world’s largest number of Asian elephants, with approximately 32,000 living in the wild and about 3,400 in managed care. Historical records suggest that during the Mughal era, emperors kept as many as 113,000 elephants, with estimates of over one million living in the wild at that time.

Thailand’s current elephant population includes an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 wild elephants and a similar number in domesticated care. In contrast, estimates from the early 20th century suggested the country was once home to around 300,000 wild elephants and 100,000 domesticated ones.

According to EleAid, a conservation organization, “concern for the Thai elephant led to the establishment of the National Elephant Institute (NEI), which grew out of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang. The NEI works closely with the Department of National Parks and various NGOs to help safeguard remaining elephants and preserve their natural habitats.”