Help Us Sponsor Suriya

We are students from Oakland, California who were introduced to study abroad to Thailand with the program “Thrival Academies”. Eleven of us went to Thailand and one of the subjects we studied while abroad was “ The impact of the human population”. To get a better sense of the impact Thrival took us to the Elephant Conservation Center in Laos and we were able to learn about the impact we have on the Asian Elephants. We learned that they are in danger of going extinct because more Elephants are dying and throughout the years less are being born. What the ECC does is they purchase injured Elephants or pregnant Elephants that tourism places don’t want anymore. They bring them to the center and raise them and their goal is to eventually let them out to the wild. They have a lot of expenses since they have many elephants to take care of and feed on the daily. What we want to do is raise money to sponsor a baby elephant we met while we were there named, Suriya.

According to the ECC website, Suriya was born in November 2011, Suriya arrived at the Elephant conservation center as a one-month-old. He has always been staying alongside his mother, Mae Ven. Suriya is the name he chose when he was three years old by picking up a sugar cane bearing this name amongst three different ones! Suriya is a playful baby. He is still learning with his mahouts and can be a bit naughty on occasions. He is very curious and likes playing with the other elephants especially at bathtime and during enrichment. Suriya particularly likes to play with Mae Boun Nam. Now that Suriya is growing up in an elephant herd he has many female elephants that can take care of him, so he can spend a lot of time with his mother Mae Ven or with other elephants who act as aunties.

It cost $60 each year to sponsor an ECC elephant. We would like to sponsor Suriya for ten years so  our goal is to raise at least $600 in donations. In helping us  sponsor Suriya your donation will be used to provide supplementary foods, purchase more land and cover veterinary expenses.

We need the funds as soon as June 6th because that’s when our school year and campaign project will end.

To us, Suriya represents a sense of hope for the elephant community. When we saw him last he went about with so much joy, and by giving your support (your money $$$) you can make sure it stays this way for him and his friends and family.

We all would be so grateful for your support and we know Suriya would be grateful as well. Please, help us help Suriya.