ANANTARA GOLDEN TRIANGLE OFFERS UNIQUE VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR CHILDREN IN LOCKDOWN - Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp
& Resort has introduced a complimentary service for
school children in lockdown that stars elephants in a personal call live from their natural habitat in Northern
Thailand’s ancient jungle. During the
video call, children around the world can virtually participate in a jungle
field trip of unique and once-in-a-lifetime elephant experiences, including the
resort’s Walking With Giants
signature experience that provides an optimum way of getting to know the
elephants and develop a deeper emotional connection with them.
The community initiative follows the success of the luxury resort at
the confluence of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, and the Golden
Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation’s (GTAEF)
twice-daily livestreams of rescued elephants enjoying their walks in the jungle
and taking a mud bath in the Ruak River, that garnered more than five million
views since the start of the global pandemic.
The resort is world famous for its elephant camp that, along with the
GTAEF, were set up in 2003 primarily to help street begging elephants and
others that could not help themselves.
To date over 60 elephants have been rescued from Thailand’s city streets
and other aggravating circumstances, of which 23 now live in the jungle
environment of the resort along with their entire mahout (carer) families.
During the livestream, children are introduced to their three-ton
video call companions and have ample time to ask questions about the pachyderms
to the GTAEF’s elephant experts. Then,
championing the natural joy of the herd of elephants’ daily free-roaming time,
accompanied by the mahouts and either a veterinarian or biologist, the
livestream offers insights from scientific experts about how these intelligent
creatures think and behave. Walking out
to the forest unveils river and wild nature scenery and, falling in pace with
the slow, steady rhythm, the children can observe the elephants’ social
interaction in their native habitat. Each
virtual fieldtrip is customized to meet the needs and curriculum of the
students.
Commenting on the virtual jungle field trips for children who are confined or isolated by lockdown restrictions in their countries, Mr John Roberts, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas’ Group Director of Sustainability & Conservation, said that school children from Thailand to Melbourne to Colorado have gathered in front of monitors with handcrafted binoculars and paper-mâché elephant ears to watch the three-ton gentle giants lumber through the jungle. “Whilst this entertaining and educational experience is a temporary virtual substitute for educational institutions’ learning through exposure to nature and nature-based activities, it is the escapism and the enthusiasm that it affords young minds – some often trapped in challenging and confusing circumstances – that make it all worthwhile. Distant learning can indeed be fun and inspiring and, who knows, we may have a few newly qualified elephant veterinarians come knocking on our jungle door in ten to fifteen years’ time,” Roberts concluded.
The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation can coordinate
complimentary virtual field trips with elephants for online school classes that
take place during Thailand daylight hours.
For more information or to reserve a live virtual fieldtrip spot,
contact Mr John Roberts, Anantara’s Group Director of Sustainability &
Conservation, on email jroberts@anantara.com or telephone +66 53 784 084.
