Page 3 - Save Elephant

Sangduen “Lek” Chailert comes from the Khamu hill tribe in northern Thailand. As a young girl, she made a connection with animals and the environment, thanks to her grandfather, who was the village shaman. The two would regularly venture into the jungle where she would learn about natural medicine and gain a healthy respect and knowledge not only for the jungle inhabitants, but also plant life.
It was early in her life when Lek met her rst elephant,who would lead her down the path to her work later in life as an elephant and environmental advocate.
As a young adult, Lek spent much of her life helping animals, often taking time in between her studies at Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, to venture into the surrounding jungles to provide natural medical care to elephants in need. During this time, she saw rst-hand the plight of Asian elephants. It was then she knew she had to dedicate her life to helping them.
In 1995, she rescued her rst elephant, Mae Perm. Then, in 2003, Lek received a large donation of land, which became Elephant Nature Park. Today, she is the founder of Save Elephant Foundation which supports Elephant Nature Park, Surin Project, Journey to
Freedom,Thailand Cares, Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia and much more. Lek continues to be at the forefront of elephant (and other animal rights causes), raising international awareness and encouraging othercountries in the region to follow her lead, as well as helping provide sustainable alternatives to localvillages.
She has received numerous recognitions for her work, including being honored as one of six “Women Heroes of Global Conservation” in 2010 by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of TIME Magazine’s “Heroes of Asia” in 2005, the Humane Society of the United States of America’s “Genesis Award” in 2003 and the Ford Foundation’s “Hero of the Planet” in 2001.