World Animal Protection-Supported Sanctuary Awarded Traveler’s Choice Award by TripAdvisor

Opening as an ethical elephant tourism venue in 2019, Following Giants is home to four elephants enjoying life on a 45-acre sanctuary bordering Mu Koh Lana National Park, Thailand. Working with World Animal Protection, the venue transitioned to an observation-only camp, giving elephants the freedom to roam, graze, and bathe while happily socializing with each other.

Now, Following Giants has won a 2024 Traveler’s Choice Award by TripAdvisor customers! With reviews from millions of TripAdvisor travelers, Following Giants placed in the top 10% of offerings worldwide!

Lindsay Oliver, Executive Director of World Animal Protection US, said in a statement:

We are so grateful to TripAdvisor’s customers for recognizing Following Giants as one of the top 10% of tourism activities worldwide. Receiving TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award proves that you can have ethical wildlife venues that are observation only and give formerly exploited animals the peaceful life they deserve.

To protect Thailand’s captive elephants, World Animal Protection has been working with elephant camps such as Following Giants to help transition them to elephant-friendly venues. Elephants in captivity and their mahouts (caretakers) need to be provided for throughout their long lives. Our team in Thailand has been on the ground creating observation-only facilities to ensure that elephants have the highest quality of life possible. 

Following Giants was the second elephant-friendly venue in Thailand to work with World Animal Protection, opening just months after ChangChill, another elephant-friendly venue in Thailand that transitioned from direct contact interactions with elephants to observation-only, allowing tourists to learn about these magnificent animals as individuals, observe them in their natural habitat of the Thai forests, and meet the mahouts devoted to their well-being.

Now, five years later, both ChangChill and Following Giants are thriving.

In order for these venues to improve elephant welfare, they were closed to the public for a number of months to build new facilities, including housing for elephants, leaving them unable to make money. World Animal Protection stepped in for both venues, funding their new structures, feeding the elephants, and providing necessary medical care during this time.

When tourism halted due to the pandemic, World Animal Protection also supported these venues financially to ensure their survival as they had just one tourism season under their belt at that time. 

Without your generous support, World Animal Protection wouldn’t have been able to provide the necessary funds and resources to help shift these venues to become better places for elephants and those who care for them. Donate to help us continue supporting these invaluable venues and protect animals around the world today.