The Elephants of Angkor

How a French-Cambodian family has turned their back on providing rides around Angkor, and instead allowed them to roam Siem Reap's largest elephant sanctuary

“I’m not an elephant guy - I’m not even an animal guy!” laughs David Piot. We’re standing under the hot Cambodian sun, in front of a large manmade pond where a small herd of elephants are splashing around in the water. The young Frenchman is explaining to me how he came to be in charge of the remote Kulen Elephant Forest Sanctuary, located an hour’s dri…