Elephant locations in Thailand

340 locations has kept elephants in Thailand

There is presently 1800 (438,1000) living elephants in locations in Thailand in this database

Thailand
Region: Thailand is in this database included in asia
Wild elephants: Thailand has about 1600 (min. NA, max. 2000) wild elephants. Source:Sompoad Srikosamatara, (2010)
Location holdings: 340 locations has kept 2157 elephants in Thailand

(Database tables with collection of elephants further down on the page)
Elephants in locations1800 (438,1000) living 357 (118,199) dead


Phu is a Karen word for a male elephant.

"Chang Pang" is a female elephant without tusks. There are females with a bit of tusks called "Khanai".

"Chang Plai" is a male elephant with tusks.

Chang Mae is the Thai word for mother and is added to the name after her first child is born.

Wild elephants


1996: 1 200-1 500 (Santiapillai, IUCN1996).
2002: 1000 elephants Lohanan (2002)
2010: 1600 Sompoad Srikosamatara, 2010

53 elephants were known to have been killed in Thailand in the wild from 1992 to 1997, 24 for their tusks.

captive population


The genetic diversity and population structureof 136 captive Thai elephants (Elephas maximus) withknown region of origin were investigated by analysis of 14highly polymorphic microsatellite loci.
Analysis of elephant subpopulations from differentregions yielded similar values for the diversity parameters(Table 1) with apparently a low degree of inbreeding(Table 1). Apparently, the relatively short period of geneticisolation (about 100 years) and the long generation time(15–20 years) (Sukumar 2003) has only resulted in amodest geographic differentiation in the Thai captive ele-phant populations. (Chatchote Thitaram, Chiang Mai University, Genetic assessment of captive elephant ( Elephas maximus ) populations in Thailand)

In 1884, the north of Thailand alone had more than 20,000 captive elephants.

1965: the Department of Livestock Development reported that there were only 11,192 captive elephants.

1959-1969: 1138 elephants were legally exported (Storer 1981)

1979: Two female elephants (2 and ~ years old) were exported by the Dusit Zoo, Bangkok, to the Irish capitals Royal Zoological Society, in trade for 2 giraffes on 3 July, 1979. (Storer 1981)

1985: Later, in 1985, the number decreased to only 3,381.

1989: teak logging operations became banned, and some 2 000 elephants and owners became unemployed, in about the same time when tourism reached very high numbers, and those elephants became transferred into tourism activities in more than 100 camps and "elephant villages" (Baan Chaang).

1997: 2,180 left (Puttipong Khawnual 2005)

2010: A typical elephant is valued at 400,000 baht ($1,200) and a baby (under 5 years) may cost up to 1 million baht (2010)

2012: 26 elephants without registration papers were confiscated and impounded at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC). At the March 13th National Elephant Day symposium in Bangkok, the DNP Chief estimated that 10% of the captive elephants in Thailand are not registered.

2014: a total of 4,435 elephants had the owner record. For the past 6 years, the birth rate (62.67±10.69) was higher than the dead rate (23.83±8.01) (p<0.0001). (Weerasak Pintawongs)

2022: in normal times captive elephants are worth about two pickup trucks, somewhere between 1.5 million and 1.8 million baht ($45,000 to $54,000). Their value peaked at 3 million to 4 million baht in the late 2000s. Lately prices have fallen below 500,000 baht, even for fertile females, and many owners are deeply in debt. (Richard Lair, 2000)

From Associations among tourist camp management, high and low tourist seasons, and welfare factors in female Asian elephants in Thailand
Using a generalized estimating equation (GEE) method, we found differences in concentrations of metabolic factors, lipid profiles and FGM concentrations across camps with different management styles, and between High and Low tourist seasons. Results suggest nutrition, work activities and tourist numbers may affect metabolic, lipid panel and FGM concentrations. We conclude that elephant well-being can be promoted by limiting the amount of high calorie treats given by tourists, ensuring animals receive appropriate amounts of exercise to reduce fat and increase muscle mass, and reducing stress by moderating the numbers of tourists interacting with individual elephants, especially during the High season.

This is the first study to examine metabolic and lipid parameters in Asian elephants under human care in Thailand across camps in relation to walking distance and working time, and provisioning of supplementary diet items, like bananas and sugar cane, by tourists during the High and Low tourist seasons. Significant differences across camps in FGM concentrations and metabolic status highlight the effect of tourist activities, and how supplemental feeding and lack of exercise may have negative consequences for health. There also was a significant tourist season effect on health status, with levels of several metabolic markers being higher during the High season, potentially reflecting higher numbers of tourists and associated activities.
Chatchote Thitaram (2019); Associations among tourist camp management, high and low tourist seasons, and welfare factors in female Asian elephants in Thailand


Export of elephants


1965: 76, 1966: 74, 1967: 77, 1968: 49, 1969: 52, 1970: 88, 1971: 84, 1972: 113, 1973: 43, 1974: 22, 1975: 12, 1976: 4 (Source: Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, (Anon, 1994d) and earlier years of the same annual publication. via Lair, Richard, FAO: http://www.fao.org/3/ac774e/ac774e0h.htm)

According to CITES trade database, exports 1980-2020: 1980: 1 (USA), 1981: 3 (USA+Soviet Union), 1982: 2 (Japan), 1986: 2 (India), 1987: 2 (Germany+Japan), 1988: 4 (Japan), 1989: 3 (Japan), 1990: 2 (Hong Kong), 1991: 2 (Hong Kong), 1993: 2 (Japan), 1994: 3 (Japan+USA), 1995: 9 (China+Israel+Japan+Myanmar+USA), 1996: 22 (China+Japan+Myanmar), 1997: 17 (India+Israel+Japan+Myanmar), 1998: 10 (China+Japan), 1999: 10 (Canada+China+Japan+S. Korea), 2000: 17 (China+Japan+Sri Lanka), 2001: 14 (Denmark+Sri Lanka+S. Korea; 9 elephants to Korea origin from Laos) 2002: 19 (Japan+Philippines), 2003: 15 (Japan+Myanmar), 2004: 26 (China+Japan+Myanmar+Sweden), 2005: 12 (China+Japan), 2006: 20 (Australia+China+Germany+Japan), 2008: 3 (S. Korea, origin from Laos), 2009: 4 (Canada+Japan), 2012: 3 (S. Korea), 2013: 3 (S. Korea), 2015: 1 (Japan, origin from Laos)
(Source: CITES trade database)

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan, Facts about elephants in Thailand. Elephant Encyclopedia, (2025) available online retrieved 2025-07-17 at https://www.elephant.se/country.php?name=Thailand.
(archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources, among others


Internal relevant links


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