TERF Project detail
Education
It is TERF’s vision that Change in Society through broad Awareness Raising efforts is a key element to be considered in any serious and long term conservation effort towards both wild and domesticated populations of Asian Elephants.
TERF’s Strategic Planning is looking twenty years ahead to a social climate in which Thai Elephant Conservation becomes part of public awareness and the approach of Thai society to Elephants is improved, through the successful implementation of a Thai Elephant Curriculum at all levels of Education in Thailand.
The “Thai Elephant Curriculum” will be the result of serious consultation process and joint efforts of experts and professionals from Education Ministry and Institutions all around Thailand. TERF will be an important part of this process and will act mainly through its Education and Research Departments.
Thai Elephant School
TERF's "Thai Elephant School" Project has as its mission to provide educational resources and instruction for Khao Yai Schools’ students by offering means of knowledge transmission and awareness-raising on both wild and domestic Asian elephants’ information, conservation issues, and historical and cultural importance of elephants for the Thai society.
Among its specific objetives, we highlight: to invite all students from a total of 140 schools in four provinces around Khao Yai National Park to take part in our half or full-day Programs, learning about the Biology, Behavior and Ecology of Elephants; Mahout-Elephants Communication and Traditional Wisdom; Human-Elephant Conflicts and Elephants Conservation; and to proceed with follow up, set up and coordination of an active network of schools and students turned to the better knowledge of Thai Elephant, as pointed by the pillars of Change in Society and Participation of Public in TERF’s strategy.
Thai Elephant Curriculum
TERF's "Thai Elephant Curriculum" has as its mission to design a curriculum for mainstream Thai schools to promote knowledge and encourage conservation of the Thai Elephant. The “Thai Elephant Curriculum” will be the result of serious consultation process and joint efforts of experts and professionals from Education Ministry and Institutions all around Thailand. TERF will be an important part of this process and will act mainly through its Education and Research Departments.
This is to be accomplished through the following specific objetives:
- To develop a Thai Elephant Curriculum Plan with help and through consultation of experts and professionals from Thai Education Ministry and Institutions
- To progress the implementation of Thai Elephant Curriculum through education stages, from primary to third level education
- To make Thai Elephant Conservation part of public awareness, through education and knowledge transmission as structured in the 14 items of the Elephant Curriculum: Elephants’ Evolution; Anatomy and Physiology; Diet; Behavior, Elephants in Musth, History of Thai Elephant, Vocabulary of Elephants, Elephants & Religions, Knowledge about Elephants, Local Spiritual leader and traditional knowledge on elephants, the Mahouts, Elephants and Forest, Human-Elephant Conflicts, Wild Elephant Conservation.
Youth Camps - "Little Elephants in the Wild"
TERF's Youth Camps Project, or "Little Elephants in the Wild" has as mission to organize Youth Camps, called “Little Elephants in the Wild”, aimed at offering junior and high school students direct experience with the habitat of wild elephants in Khao Yai National Park, and also to allow students to learn about the routine of domesticated elephants and their mahouts at Thai Elephant Center for Conservation. Youth Camp Programs take place at TECC and its surroundings – National Park, Forest Villages and main landmarks.
Programs for schools
Khao Yai nature and conservation field trips for Schools
Experts at the Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund (TERF) are offering educational field trips to explore the Flora and Fauna in one of the worlds most important World Heritage National parks. The program seeks to educate and to stimulate interest in the local and global environment . Tours are conducted in English.
Programs include :
- Native English speaking hosts (also fully qualified English teachers)
- Training and follow up classes held at the TERF centre
- Supporting presentations held at the school
- Education through direct interaction with Mahout and elephants at the TERF centre
- Program length to suit
- Accommodation can be arranged at nearby hotel, camping also available
- Profits directly benefit the elephants, mahout and ongoing research
- Full health and safety orientation
- As well as being fun the program is supported and informed by detailed scientific research providing students with a rigorous academic environment, informative scientifically trained staff and access to serious scientific research.
The program can be adapted to fit any age group or the requirements of individual schools .
The following gives an idea of the program content :
Domestic Elephants .
Students will learn the life story of the individual domestic elephants on site from the Mahout and get to see first hand the relationship between man and elephant. They will be able to study elephant behaviour up close as well as learning about the physiology and biology of the elephant. They will learn about what elephants eat . The Musth cycle in elephants. Students will have a unique opportunity to have direct contact and friendly relationship with the elephants as well as taking care of the elephants, students will have the opportunity to take the elephants to their bathing spot and feed them. Students will also learn about the important role of the elephant in Thai culture.
Wild elephants
Students will learn about the role of the elephant in the wild ecosystem. They will find about elephant invasions of local farmland, the farmers reaction and what is being done to resolve this conflict . The subject of this human elephant conflict and education of the local population is a subject that is explored in depth at the centre. There will be field trips to the wild habitat of the elephants and an informed insight into the conservation of wild elephants. Students will also be shown how to track elephants.
Flora and Fauna in Khao Yai
Students will go on a field trip to visit Khao Yai. Treks start form Guar Watchtower. Students will have a chance to take part in a real ethnobotanical fieldwork and learn about the flora and fauna of the park from members of the local community. Field trips will abe lead by Native English speaking hosts. The field trip presents the opportunity to observe butterflies , rare bird species as well as various insects , reptiles and mammals.
They will also learn about the success of the reforestation program implemented by the local community and a chance to take part in the program themselves by planting their own tree .
Volunteer Program
This volunteer program takes you to Thai Elephant Center for Conservation (TECC), situated in Nakhon Ratchasima province, in Central Thailand.
Situated in the border of Khao Yai National Park, TECC is home to a small population of domesticated Asian Elephants, together with their mahouts. The main objective of TECC is to provide these ‘streets elephants’ (chang baan) better life conditions while offering their mahouts instruction and the opportunity to be part in the awareness raising efforts required to address the critical situation of Asian elephant conservation within Thailand and Southeast Asia as a whole.
This volunteer experience is not about being an observer from the comfort of a resort, or merely an elephant training course, and practical knowledge on peculiarities of both domesticated and wild Asian Elephants’ biology and ecology are acquire through direct contact.