A Once in a Lifetime Internship at KSES
By Cammy - 4 week intern
I have loved wildlife since I could walk. Growing up, I always knew my dream was to work with animals, specifically elephants. I was mesmerized by them and still am, especially after this amazing experience. I recently graduated from college in the spring of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Behavior and Science. I knew when I graduated that I wanted to continue learning and gaining experience in animal research and behavioral studies, bringing me one step closer to my dream job of working with elephants.
With some referrals from family members who had traveled to Thailand and visited an elephant sanctuary, I had a better idea of where to look. With my prior knowledge of Asian elephants from classes and research projects, I knew exactly what I was looking for in an ethical sanctuary—especially one I would want to intern at and be actively involved with. I came across the Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary website, and just by reading the "About Us" page and their goals for the future of Asian elephants, I immediately felt drawn. I saw the option to intern and help make a difference by studying the sanctuary's Asian elephants' behaviors and collecting data, and I was sold! This was the perfect opportunity, and I was crying tears of joy when I saw that I had been selected for the internship.
After a very long flight and several truck and van trips from Chiang Mai to Mae Chaem—going up and down mountains and through rocky dirt roads—we finally arrived at the Karen village in Ban Na Klang! We were greeted by KSES’s amazing coordinators (Cristina, Jasmin, Lacey, and Maria) and, of course, the wonderful Kanda once she returned from her trip later that week. We were escorted to our homestay to drop off our bags and settle in. Then, we all went to the base for introductions to KSES and to learn about the organization, the Karen culture, and Asian elephants! We were greeted with delicious banana smoothies from the one and only amazing Nee! Nee’s smoothies were probably the best I’ve ever had—I couldn’t go more than 24 hours without one of her fresh mango smoothies. Later that night, we met our homestay families and cooked a traditional Thai meal with them. We ended the night playing card games around the table, getting to know my fellow interns and coordinators.
Each morning, we would collect data on the elephants for 90 minutes from Monday to Friday. We would wake up early to have breakfast at 7 a.m., and I would immediately get a smoothie or hot tea from Nee’s corner. Then, we would leave around 8 a.m. to hike out to where the elephants were. Sometimes, they would be close by, out in the fields, but other times they would challenge us by submerging themselves deep in the dense forest, forcing us to climb through branches, bushes, and streams to reach them. It was always a new adventure every day finding them, but it was all part of the field research experience! There are currently six Asian elephants at the sanctuary that we work with: three males—Dodo, Boon Rott, and Junior (the son of Dodo and Sri Prai)—and three females—Sri Prai, Mae Doom, and Too Mae. Each day, we were assigned to a different elephant to collect either behavioral or associative data.
At the village, we immersed ourselves in the community and Karen culture. Weekly, we taught English to the villagers, where some adults would come, but mostly there were kids. It was always a good time working with them. We’d always end the lessons playing games like “Scooter Says” or “Freeze Dance” while incorporating number learning. We also did litter pickups around the village twice a week to help keep the environment clean. One of my favorite activities was going to help feed all the village dogs. Shoutout to my favorite dogs: Foxy, Missy, Padah, Scooter, Cha-cha, Gloi/Banana, Flacco, and Loui. Every Wednesday, we went on bio hikes to collect data on insect biodiversity in the area and assess the environmental impacts on biodiversity during different seasons.
In my last week, two other interns and I shared our data analysis presentations we had been working on for a few weeks, using the data we collected out in the field. I focused on behavioral calf developmental milestones using Junior's data and research articles to compare results.
Overall, these past four weeks at KSES have been such an eye-opening, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am forever grateful for. Seeing these beautiful creatures right in front of my eyes—foraging, socializing, dusting, exploring, and acting as normal as they can be in a semi-wild environment—still doesn’t feel real. There’s really no way to explain the feeling without going and experiencing it yourself. This was my very first solo trip across the world, and I was nervous about putting myself in a completely new environment and living a completely different life than I was used to. I feel I have grown and overcome so much as a person through this experience. I will miss my wonderful, silly, one of a kind fellow interns. Even though we may be across the world from each other, I will forever value our friendships and hope to meet up again soon. Thank you, KSES, for everything. I’m so full of love for all of you. This was truly inspiring.
Until next time,
Da Blue!
