Planning to visit the wonderful country of Malaysia and wondering if there is an Elephant Sanctuary in Malaysia. The main aim of the elephant sanctuaries is to care for elephants and to provide a safe home for the elephants. And yes, there are elephant sanctuaries in Malaysia but not as many as in Thailand.
In a perfect world, we would not need elephant sanctuaries but unfortunately, elephants need to be saved or rescued. As elephants have been forced to work, in circuses, their habitat has been destroyed or has been orphaned or injured.
To help pay for their care, the sanctuaries supplement their income by providing tours to tourists and help from volunteers.
In this post, we will go through if there is there any elephant sanctuary in Malaysia. Let’s get started!
Learn More About Malaysia
- Things to Do in Kukup Malaysia
- Things To Do in Selangor Malaysia
- Fun Things To Do in Langkawi Malaysia
- Things To Do in Pahang Malaysia
- Is Malaysia Safe To Visit?
- Is Kuala Lumpur Worth Visiting?
- Can You Drink Tap Water in Malaysia?
- Does It Snow In Malaysia?
Is There Any Elephant Sanctuary In Malaysia?
Yes, there are 3 elephant sanctuaries in Malaysia that can be visited by tourists. Kuala Gandah Elephant Center has been the most popular because it is a 2-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.
Are There Elephants In Malaysia?
Yes, there are elephants in Malaysia. The estimated elephant population in Malaysia is between 2,300 to 3,000. Malaysia is divided into two parts by the South China Sea, one called Borneo and the other called Peninsula.
The elephant population is split as follows with Borneo having about 1,100 – 1,600 elephants and Peninsula with about 1,250 – 1,470 elephants.
Can You Ride Elephants In Malaysia?
Elephant rides are not common in Malaysia but there are some places that offer elephant riding. Wild elephants will not allow humans to ride on them.
In order to tame a wild elephant, they are tortured to break into the elephant so a human can ride it. The torture involves repeated beatings and stabbings with bullhooks.
This is the main reason NOT to ride the elephants as it will encourage the practice.
Where Are The Elephant Sanctuary In Malaysia?
There are currently 3 elephant sanctuaries in Malaysia that can be visited by tourists. And they are as follows.
- Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary
- Kenyir Elephant Conservation Village
- Borneo Elephant Sanctuary – Relatively New
The elephant sanctuaries in Malaysia help elephants that were injured by poachers or forced to work. They also respond to elephant alerts and relocate captured wild elephants to their safe habitat.
The people who work in the sanctuaries are mostly volunteers. That also helps to track down and capture hunters and poachers.
Here is more on the three elephant sanctuaries in Malaysia.
Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary
The Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary is about 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur. And for that reason, it is a popular sanctuary to visit. The main aim of this Sanctuary is to protect and help elephants whose habitat is in danger from companies cutting down the forest to replace it with plantations.
At the Sanctuary you can get up close and personal with the semi-wild elephants and also you can help give the elephants a bath.
The entrance to the conservation park is free and tour operators can charge a lot of money for the tour.
Kenyir Elephant Conservation Village
The Kenyir Elephant Conservation Village ( KECV ) was built in 2012 and covers over 256 hectares of land. 20% of the area is developed and the rest remains untouched with the purpose of keeping the 80% area untouched for the elephants.
The main aim of KECV is to educate the public about the elephant’s habitat and elephant behavior. The sanctuary will explain and show how the elephants were found, rescued, brought back to health, and finally set free.
While at the sanctuary, you will have the opportunity to feed the elephants and get up and close personal.
Borneo Elephant Sanctuary
The Borneo Elephant Sanctuary (BES) is located on 61 acres of land and is the first facility of its kind in Borneo. This sanctuary is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and protection of the Bornean Elephants.
The elephants are cared for 24 hours a day by an on-site team and with the plan that the elephants can roam freely in the Kinabatangan Nature Reserve. And returning for food, water, and shelter on their own accord.
USEFUL TRAVEL RESOURCES
Book Accommodation
Booking.com has a large range of properties from hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and resorts where you will find the best deals. Airbnb and Hostelworld also have a good range of places to stay at good prices.
Booking Flight
Skyscanner is a flight search comparison website that searches millions of flights all at once. Ultimately it is the best flight comparison website online at the moment.
Booking Transportation & Things To Do
Rome2rio and 12Go are useful to plan how to get anywhere by searching train, bus, car, and ferry routes. Especially useful in countries like Vietnam or Thailand. While Klook is great for exploring things to do in each place.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is cheap and more than likely you will never need to use it but you will have peace of mind if something does happen, you are covered in case of an emergency. World Nomads have great customer service and competitive prices.
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use when you travel.
Wrapping Up
Finally, yes there are elephant sanctuaries in Malaysia but there are not at the same standard as in Chiang Mai in Thailand. This, either way, gives a great opportunity to meet the elephants and to interact with them, just don’t ride them.
Remember you will need to do a little research before deciding on the sanctuary you are going to visit.
And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide is there any elephant sanctuary in Malaysia that has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.
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