Saving Giants
In the wild jungles of southern Phuket, two Britons are providing a sanctuary for the former captive elephants of Thailand, giving them a chance at peaceful retirement
Russell Withers and Louise Rogerson are the co-founders of the Tree Tops Elephant Reserve in Phuket. I first met the hardworking couple back in 2016, when they opened the island's first ever elephant sanctuary. We marveled at these gentle giants as we walked alongside them rather than riding on them, a revelation at a time when tourists would happily pay hundreds of Thai Baht for a quick 5 minute elephant-back stroll. Through their tireless efforts (and the support of the many celebrities that visited), they were game-changers in the way local elephant camps were run. A few years later the pair moved onto a new challenge: to create Phuket's first truly ethical elephant sanctuary. I recently got in touch to find out more about what that exactly entails.
What is the definition of an ethical elephant sanctuary?
A truly ethical elephant sanctuary puts the happiness and welfare of their elephants at the forefront. A key focus at Tree Tops is to give our elephants the freedom to exercise and roam around our land, socialize with other elephants, and live a very peaceful life. We structure our visitor programs around our elephants and not the other way around. We offer minimal interaction through a short feeding program then our elephants enjoy their day just as much as our guests. A lot of elephant projects claiming to be ethical are actually zoo-like tourist attractions and full of ‘highlights’ that include activities for tourists to bathe in the water with the elephants, showering or throwing mud on them. These are only attractions for people to enjoy, not for the elephants.
What type of camp was Tree Tops before you arrived?
The land was originally an elephant riding camp, in fact, one of the first elephant riding camps in Phuket around 20 years ago. We were invited to work alongside Mr Wallop P. Luengdhama and transition the elephant camp to an ethical sanctuary with their elephants, staff, and mahouts that were already working there. We were very excited to be involved in this project as our dream was to launch an ethical sanctuary in the south of Phuket where it was needed, due to the dominance of riding camps.
Why did you move from the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary?
We are very proud of our achievements at the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary as we created an elephant sanctuary that forever changed elephant tourism on the island. After working very hard for two years straight, we handed the owning family a successful elephant project which they continued. We then took a much needed break in the UK, and we returned to Phuket to launch Tree Tops Elephant Reserve with our Thai partner, Mr Wallop. P. Luengdhama, who is also a passionate elephant lover.
How did you start working with elephants in the first place?
Louise: I originally moved to Hong Kong in 1997 to work in fashion, then in 2010 I took a career break and visited Thailand, which is where I first saw and learnt about elephants being used and mistreated for tourist entertainment. I was heartbroken to see these magnificent animals being so cruelly trained and beaten. At the time, there was little awareness in Hong Kong about the negative aspects of elephant tourism, so the next year I launched the Elephant Asia Rescue and Survival Foundation (EARS).
Having lived in Asia for over 20 years, I had visited Phuket numerous times and was surprised that the only elephant attractions on offer were riding and shows. For five years my vision was to create a wave of change for elephant tourism in Phuket. Even when I was invited to help with other projects in the region, my focus was steadfast on Phuket as this beautiful island is Thailand’s main tourist destination. With Phuket having a high volume of tourists (pre-Covid), I felt this was the place to really change peoples minds and educate visitors to make a compassionate choice, which would ultimately change the lives of many elephants - which is exactly what happened.
Russell: I have known Louise since we were 20 years old, we are from the same village in the UK. My background is marketing, social media, technology, sales, business, and photography. I moved to Asia in 2015, and through Louise’s work I learnt about the plight of the elephants. In 2016, I was a founding member of the team that brought the first ethical elephant project to the island, with the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary.
I believe that with the right help and guidance, traditional elephant trekking camps can transition to a compassionate, ‘elephant first’ model, whilst still providing a livelihood for those who run and work at them. Tourists dictate what the tourism industry provides, and if there is a demand to see elephants perform in shows, give rides or bathe with them in the water, then the industry provides that. It is important to show tourists from around the world, that all animals must be treated with respect. This is why we have created Tree Tops Elephant Reserve. We truly believe that putting animal welfare first is the way forward for all of Phuket’s elephant tourism industry.
Would you say that you’ve always been animal lovers?
Louise: Yes. I have loved animals since I was very young. We had animals at home our whole lives. As a child I used to donate my pocket money to local cat and dog rescues, and bought wildlife magazines that piled up by the side of my bed. I moved to Asia in my early 20s and learnt about the cruelty to animals through the Hong Kong-based Animals Asia Foundation where I often volunteered, and this eventually led me to dedicating my life to helping elephants. There is nowhere else I would rather be or anything else that I would rather do than save animals lives. It’s my life’s destiny.
Do you remember when you saw your first ever elephant?
Louise: I remember seeing my first elephant when I was seven years old in Sri Lanka and instantly falling in love with them. Later in my teens, I saw wild elephants in Tsavo, Kenya, the vast landscape and their magnificence and presence stayed with me forever. In my teens, I also went to Thailand for the first time and to an elephant show. This was more than 30 years ago now. The show was depicting the logging industry and I remember very clearly after the show asking why the elephants were in chains. From a young age I've always been concerned and outspoken about animal cruelty, and I am very thankful to my parents for these travel experiences at such a young age.
For you, what makes elephants so special and unique?
Elephants have a mystical feel about them. To be in the presence of an elephant takes your breath away. They are loved by people as they are seen as calm, graceful, and peaceful animals that are highly intelligent. There is an air of mystique, they have an incredible aura and presence, are highly social, family oriented, and deeply emotional.
Do you think the days of riding elephants are now over?
We would like to say yes, but unfortunately there are many people that still want to ride an elephant. Until every tourist and tour company around the world fully understands the impact they have on elephants though riding on them, then riding will still prevail. Money is the key factor and fuels the elephant tourism industry.
Some would argue that man has long used elephants for labour much the same as horses, mules, camels and other animals, and so is it an issue they continue to do so?
Elephants are brutally trained in harsh conditions and broken into giving rides and performing in shows for tourism entertainment. It’s the same cruel training to break horses, camels and other animals too, and we don’t believe that any animal should be forced into hard labour. Using animals for labour is a century old practice when there was little or no machinery. The world has progressed greatly and there is no need now to look back on age old methods to justify forcibly using and mistreating animals.
Shouldn't elephants live in the jungle instead of reserves?
In an ideal world, all elephants would be free and living in their natural habitats - they should never have ever been brought into tourism. However, captive elephant tourism does exist and Tree Tops Reserve is here to help the elephants that are already in the tourism entertainment industry and give them as close as possible to a natural life.
How do you think most Thais currently view elephants?
From our conversations with many Thais, they love elephants as their national symbol, but they are unaware of exactly how the elephants are treated and trained in order to perform in shows, give rides and so on. We have seen many tears when a Thai person has visited us, watched our education video, walked with elephants, and experienced our happy elephants roaming and bathing. It’s usually the first time they have ever seen elephants so free and it’s very special when they see what we are achieving.
Without tourists, how have you managed to stay funded?
As with everyone else in the tourist industry, it has been incredibly difficult to stay afloat, especially being such a new project. We had to adapt very quickly to find other ways to feed our elephants. We are very grateful to our many supporters both locally and around the world who are generously donating to help us survive. There have been sponsorships from walks and runs, and from wildlife organisations, and support from British music legend Goldie who lives in Phuket, very kindly designed a T-shirt for us. We have also sold T-shirts and hoodies though our Wild & Grey clothing brand, which taps into my previous life as a fashion label owner, back in Hong Kong a decade ago!
Besides elephants, what are your interests and hobbies?
We work very long hours and spend every moment we can with our elephants and wouldn’t have it any other way! However, when we do get a moment we love to go sea kayaking especially off Ya Nui beach, hiking the trails on the island, and strolling along the beautiful Phuket beaches at sunset, as this is our favourite time of day.
How has life been in Phuket been without all the tourists?
Honestly, it’s bittersweet. We feel very lucky and privileged to be living here through Covid as Phuket really is stunning without all the visitors. It's wonderful to see the ocean so clean, the sea life return, and to walk on empty beaches. The roads have also been much quieter too, with no minivans or tour buses. However, the suffering and poverty for so many people is heartbreaking and there has been a devastating impact on businesses. Animal rescue sanctuaries are also full, with many cats and dogs having been dumped as people return home and don’t or can’t take their animals with them.
Do you have any retirement plans after the elephants?
Retirement? What’s that! We see ourselves doing this forever. Our elephants are our family and our life, and helping elephants is a lifelong commitment and a dream come true. We are committed to ensuring our elephants have a safe home forever - some of our elephants will most likely outlive us. There is nowhere we would rather be than sitting peacefully with our family of elephants watching them going about the day in our quiet reserve at Tree Tops. We really don’t need to be anywhere else on Earth. This is just the beginning though, and there is a long way to go to truly help the elephants of Thailand. We have very big plans for the future to help many more elephants.
Readers can donate to Tree Tops here.