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Sangduen Chailert

Sangduen Chailert
แสงเดือน ชัยเลิศ
Chailert with a newborn elephant, 2012
Born (1961-10-06) October 6, 1961 (age 64)
Baan Lao, Chiang Mai province, Thailand
Other nameLek
EducationChiang Mai University
OccupationAnimal welfare worker
Known forFounder of Elephant Nature Park

Sangduen "Lek" Chailert (Thai: แสงเดือน "เล็ก" ชัยเลิศ; born 6 October 1961) is a Thai animal welfare worker. She is the founder of Elephant Nature Park and the Save Elephant Foundation and is known for her activism for the welfare and protection of Asian elephants. Chailert has been described as "Thailand's elephant whisperer".[1][2][3]

Early life

Chailert was born in 1961 in the village of Baan Lao in northern Thailand.[4] Growing up she was given the nickname "Lek", which means "small" in Thai.[3] She was the granddaughter of a local shaman, and helped him take care of sick animals as a child. When she was 16, she saw elephants being mistreated while carrying logs in the jungle.[1][5] Chailert later graduated from Chiang Mai University.[6]

Career

Chailert founded Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary for abused Asian elephants spread over 250 acres of land in Chiang Mai province. The sanctuary has rescued over 200 elephants, in addition to other animals, such as 500 dogs, water buffalo, cows, cats, rabbits, horses, pigs and goats.[1]

In addition, Chailert also established the Save Elephant Foundation, a non-profit organisation that advocates for the protection of Asian elephants. Chailert has advocated against the practice of phajaan to tame wild elephants, for which she received threats, including the poisoning of one of her rescued elephants.[2]

Chailert has also been involved with the creation of conservation reserves for elephants and other animals in other parts in Thailand, as well as Cambodia, India and Laos, such as the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary and Elephant Sanctuary Laos.[3]

Chailert campaigned for the rescue of Tikiri, an elephant in Sri Lanka.[7]

Recognition

Chailert has been featured in documentaries by National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery and the BBC.[8][9] She was awarded a Genesis Award for the National Geographic documentary Vanishing Giants.[10][8]

In 2001, the Ford Foundation named Chailert its "Hero of the Planet".[10] In 2010, she was one of six women recognised as Global Conservation Female Heroes by Hillary Clinton in Washington D.C..[11] Time named Chailert as one of its "Heroes from Asia" in 2005.[12]

In 2022, Chailert received the Legion of Honour in Bangkok from the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. That same year, the documentary The Elephant Rescuer of Thailand, documenting Chailert's efforts against elephant poachers and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Elephant Nature Park, premiered.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Garcia, Lucia (2016-06-07). "Meet Thailand's elephant whisperer". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2025-05-16. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  2. ^ a b King, Robert (2005-11-12). "The Elephant Whisperer". The Ecologist. Archived from the original on 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  3. ^ a b c Casselman, David B. (2021-12-21). "Lek Chailert: When the Lawyer met the Elephant Whisperer". Ecoflix. Archived from the original on 2025-07-20. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  4. ^ Koehl, Dan. "Saengduean Lek Chailert". Elephant Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  5. ^ "Die Elefantenflüsterin - Lek Chailert im Interview". This is Vegan (in German). 2025-03-03. Archived from the original on 2025-07-20. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  6. ^ "Sangduen (Lek) Chailert". Giraffe Heroes Project. Archived from the original on 2025-05-12. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  7. ^ "Sri Lankan elephant Tikiri forced to perform in parades dies". BBC News. 2019-09-25. Archived from the original on 2024-11-28. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  8. ^ a b "Lek Chailert". United Nations System Staff College. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  9. ^ "Living With Elephants: Saba Douglas-Hamilton and Sangduen 'Lek' Chailert". BBC World Service. 2015-10-04. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  10. ^ a b Jenkins, C. (2020-08-26). "Sangdeaun Lek Chailert". Women's Activism NYC. Archived from the original on 2024-12-26. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  11. ^ Campbell, Charlie (2014-08-07). "Elephants Are Tortured and Trafficked to Entertain Tourists in Thailand". Time. Archived from the original on 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  12. ^ "Vol. 166 No. 15". Time. 2005-10-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-21. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  13. ^ Sunderdiek, Tobias (2022-08-09). "„Schauen Sie nicht hin": Was Thailands Elefantenretterin erlebt". Noz (in German). Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2025-10-04.

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