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The Elephant Help Foundation, a project based in Phuket
and started in 1998 to
assist in improving conditions for elephants used in the trekking and logging
industry in Thailand, recently won the British Guild of Travel Writers' (BGTW) Best
Overseas Tourism Venture Award 2003.
"This award is a great honor that will further stimulate efforts to care
of about
300 elephants used for trekking or logging," said Mr Sam-Erik
Ruttmann, chairman of the Foundation and also general manager of the Dusit Laguna Resort.
"We are
also doing this for the success of sustainable tourism in Phuket and nearby provinces, by contributing to responsible tourism and seeking
benefits for the local communities involved."
The Foundation aims within a couple of years' time to have four full-time
vets, eight assistants and four elephant mobile clinics. A fund-raising
target to raise US$ 400,000 will be earmarked for vehicles, operating equipment, and a permanent office for the Foundation. Its annual operating
expenses are estimated to be around US$ 350,000, which is to be funded through
grants and fund-raising activities. |
