Asian Elephant Programme
Conservation. Community. Coexistence.
The mission of our Asian Elephant Programme is to advance the conservation of Asian elephants and help the communities that surround them by supporting our charity partner, Save Elephant Foundation, while increasing awareness of Asian elephant issues and encouraging sustainable decision-making via our own advocacy.
Act Big Live Small’s Asian Elephant Programme focuses on two key initiatives:
Fundraising for our partner, Save Elephant Foundation, to support their work on the ground in Southeast Asia offering care for captive elephants and their communities, and
Advocacy and education to empower people with the knowledge to make responsible choices about elephant tourism and informed purchasing decisions that help reduce their impact on wild Asian elephants.
Image credit: Save Elephant Foundation (baby Jun, 2026).
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We lead campaigns to raise funds for our partner, Save Elephant Foundation (SEF) - a registered Thai non-profit - to support their work rescuing, rehabilitating and protecting Asian elephants. 100% of public donations made to the Asian Elephant Programme are legally restricted to the Programme. All Trust overheads and our Endowment grant are funded entirely by our own private investments.
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Demonstrate both the vulnerable position of Asian elephants in captivity and the wild, and the decisions we can take that have a more positive impact on their wellbeing. We believe that who we choose to give our money to is a powerful form of everyday activism.
Highlight the abuse and exploitation many captive Asian elephants endure, and help tourists make good decisions about engaging with elephants and their communities in ethical and sustainable ways
Educating consumers on decisions contributing to habitat destruction, the biggest challenge for Asian elephant conservation - read more about Asian elephant conservation.
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Save Elephant Foundation (SEF) is a Thai non–profit organisation founded by the world-renowned conservationist Saengduean ‘Lek’ Chailert and is the umbrella foundation for the various projects SEF supports, including Elephant Nature Park (ENP). SEF is dedicated to providing care and assistance to Thailand’s captive elephant population through a multifaceted approach involving rescue and rehabilitation programmes, educational ecotourism, local community outreach, and environmental conservation programmes.
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“Elephant Nature Park (ENP) is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre in Northern Thailand, founded by renowned elephant rights advocate, Saengduean ‘Lek’ Chailert. It is the first ethical elephant sanctuary of its kind established in Asia and currently provides a caring home to over 100 elephants. Many of the elephants living in the sanctuary of Elephant Nature Park have been rescued by Save Elephant Foundation (SEF) from street begging, elephant riding, and circus shows, where they often sustained both physical and psychological injuries. The park’s herds include blind, crippled, orphaned, and senior elephants who are now free to live a peaceful life in natural surroundings, where they are loved and respected”. elephantnaturepark.org
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Saengduean Chailert, known by her nickname ‘Lek’, is the founder of Save Elephant Foundation and Elephant Nature Park.
Lek has worked tirelessly to raise international awareness about the plight of both captive and wild Asian elephants, while building an organisation that has rescued and cared for hundreds of elephants and thousands of other animals at risk. She lives on the frontline of elephant conservation in Asia.
Lek was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by President Macron of France. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recognised Lek as one of six ‘Women Heroes of Global Conservation’ and she was one of TIME Magazine’s ‘Heroes of Asia”. More about Lek (click here)
Articles
‘Meet the woman who's saving Asia's elephants '– Reader’s Digest, 17 August 2023
‘Ten female conservationists who have changed our relationship with nature’– BBC Wildlife, 4 May 2024.
Campaigns to Date
100-Mile Walk
During COVID-19, over 100 working elephants and their owners walked nearly 100 miles home when business shut. Save Elephant Foundation (SEF) stepped in with food banks and other resources to help these elephants and their owners survive. Inspired by the elephants’ walk, Esther raised £2,764 walking 100-miles around London in four days. These funds went towards a wider campaign by Trunks Up, a USA-based charity supporting the work of SEF, and was put towards the rescue of a group of seven elephants facing starvation during the pandemic.
Act Big Live Small produced a digital cookbook of almost 40 plant-based recipes as part of a campaign to encourage and reward ‘micro-donations’. £2,220 was raised for Save Elephant Foundation, with almost 450 downloads of the cookbook.
We will be producing a new cookbook in 2026 - we’ll let you know when it’s available!
Global Walk for Asian Elephants Week (9–15 August 2026) brought people together from all over the world to walk in support of Asian elephants. Thanks to our generous donors, the event raised £3,590.25 for Save Elephant Foundation (SEF). The funds will help equip SEF’s new elephant medical facility with essential supplies and equipment to support elderly, injured and traumatised elephants in need. This was the first year of what we hope will become Act Big Live Small’s annual flagship campaign.