This Group of Kids Planted Tree Saplings to Celebrate Incredible Elephant Sanctuary Founder

It was recently a very special day for one woman who has given her all when it comes to saving elephants. It was the birthday of Lek Chailert, founder of Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. Chailert has been inspired by elephants ever since she was a child, when her grandfather was given a baby elephant as a gift for saving a man’s life. Chailert loved her grandfather’s elephant, but when she grew older, she realized that many elephants in Thailand did not live happy lives. It is an unfortunate truth that because of their size, these highly intelligent and social creatures are subjected to a life of labor in the logging and trekking industries. Once Chailert knew of the horrors that these elephants faced, she was compelled to give these creatures the sanctuary  they all deserve.

Today, Elephant Nature Park is home to many elephants who have been retired from the tourism industry and it has even welcomed other animals like cats, dogs, and buffalo. Not only does Chailert’s compassion extend to elephants and other animals, it also extends to the environment; one of their most recent efforts included helping to restore the rainforests in the surrounding area to help create a future where plants and animals can thrive in harmony. So, it’s fitting that for her birthday, one local school gave her one of the best presents ever: trees!

Students from the Baan Muan Kud school, armed with saplings, get ready to plant trees throughout Elephant Nature Park in honor of founder Lek Chailert’s birthday — what a great birthday present!

This celebration was an amazing opportunity to help the community build a positive relationship with the environment and with elephants.

Thanks to these student volunteers, future elephant residents at the park will always be surrounded by nature.

We can’t help but think that the students creating a beautiful home for the elephants is just about one of the best gifts Chailert could get.

We can’t think of a more fitting present for a woman who has been working tirelessly to save elephants and to restore the natural environment that surrounds the sanctuary. We need more people like her in the world. We hope you had a fantastic birthday, Lek! Thank you for all that you do.

To learn more about Elephant Nature Park and the amazing work that they do, visit their official website. To learn more about Lek Chailert, watch this video.

All image source: Elephant Nature Park/Facebook