Volunteer Work With Elephants

My son and I were involved in this project for a week .Although this was a relatively short time, we learnt a lot about the daily care of the elephants and were able to build up a good relationship with several of the elephants, especially Rhooba. Although the Mahouts speak very little English, Govind, our Co ordinator, was with us daily to answer our questions and ensure we were still able to interact with the Mahouts and learn a great deal about the life of a working elephant.We were able to feed and bath the elephants daily and make elephant chapatis! The work does begin early, at 5 am but this does mean, the late mornings and afternoons are free to explore. Sukret, Govind and our driver were excellent helping us and providing advice when needed. The program is very professionally run and is to be commended.
People seeking to take part in the project should be aware that these are working elephants and although they are well cared for and have good relationships with their Mahouts, they are chained up for much of the time which does give rise to some welfare concerns. All the elephants were very friendly and showed no sign of depression. They were not over worked and did have regular veterinary care. In February, there are Elephant Games, when the elephants will play games such as football etc.They are trained for a period before this. This would be an excellent time to volunteer!

This program was really great! I spent a month there this past summer and I learned quite a lot about the elephants in Jaipur and Indian culture. The elephants are wonderful to work with. I loved being able to bathe them in the lake and help the mahouts paint them. It can be difficult seeing the elephants work with such heavy chairs and be chained the way they are. However, you definitely gain perspective after you learn about the elephant culture in Jaipur and learn about how other elephants are treated in other projects. I think the elephants are well taken care of and the mahouts genuinely care about them. My host family was really great too! I had a lot of time to myself, but they were really friendly and helped me with shopping. My room was great and I really liked that I had my own bathroom. I also enjoyed the sightseeing that was organized on the weekends - there are a lot of beautiful, interesting places to see in and around Jaipur. The program staff also helped me plan a trip to visit the Taj Mahal, which was stunning.
Overall, this program was amazing and I hope I can go back one day!

Doing a Volunteer work with elephants in Jaipur was a wonderful experience.
First of all, thanks to our host family they take care us well. They not only shared incredible love but also very informative, patient and gave us plenty of options during our stay.
At first on our day 1, I must admit I was rather timid around the elephants but after thirty minutes I felt like I had made some new best friends. During our stay my wife, some friends and I learned how to feed the elephants and establish a relationship. Soon, we were doing things I never imagined like bathing and feeding the elephants from close-up.

Doing a care work with elephants isn't just a fun experience but a true bonding experience between you and these wonderful, mysterious animals. Not only do you leave with a greater understanding of the species but an appreciation for mahouts efforts in creating a serene and humane habitat for the elephants. If you're going to India spend at least 1 weeks with them.

The actual volunteer project working directly with the elephants was amazing! The mahouts are wonderful to talk to and are clearly devoted to their animals. , govind and Raj were fantastic!

However, our group had travelled a lot around India before arriving at the project, and so were familiar with costs and scamming. Our host family at Prity guest house took advantage of the naiivety of the other volunteers and were taking them to shops where they would receive commission for extortionate tourist prices. As well as this, they were charging ALOT for henna, their own clothes and paintings that they were trying to sell the volunteers! They were rude and obviously did not want us in their home.

Overall the project was fantastic, and working with the elephants and their mahouts should not be missed. However, if you are interested in this project, PLEASE request other accommodation, as it ruined our entire experience.

My flight arrived early but within 5 minutes Sukret was there to pick me up. A great Service.

The accommodation was very good, the guesthouse had everything you could need including WiFi internet, space to dry your clothes and a shop nearby that sold everything you would need day-to-day. The food was very tasty, available on demand and plenty of it – there was always the offer of more.

Toteram-ji, the taxidriver, drove me everywhere and he was awesome! I found that most of the time I would get into the tuk-tuk and I didn’t know where I was going but I always went somewhere exciting! I will miss our samosa parties in the tuk-tuk a lot. He was on time, his driving was great and his smiley hallo, good morning! at 4:30 a.m was always much appreciated.

Govind was my project supervisor and he really made my trip amazing. He was very helpful with any questions. I am yet to find one he couldn’t answer. He included me in things outside the project with his friends and family and I loved every minute of it. Sukret was also extremely helpful and answered my questions promptly. He was always around to check everything was ok.

I did the elephant project for 3 weeks. Everyday we left at 4:30 a.m and started by cleaning the elephant enclosure, picking up her poo with your bare hands, washing and scrubbing the elephant, then dressing the elephant ready to go to amber fort. Once the elephants had left we made bundles of food for them to eat later. Some afternoons we would make chappathi’s for the elephants. The mahouts were great fun and I could always get involved with whatever they were doing. The project itself was really enjoyable with a highlight being washing the elephant in the elephant pool on my last morning.

I was bit nervous about going to India with VWI, but there was absolutely no need to be. The staff at VWI was professional, friendly and couldn’t have been more accommodating. They were very inclusive and I really enjoyed getting involved and learning about Indian culture firsthand. I was treated so well – I loved meeting their families and their friends. My sari will remind me of all the great times I spent with them. The sightseeing trips on the weekends were very well organized and included everything. Jaipur is a wonderful city to live in.

I got to experience all the projects offered by VWI; this organization does such a worthwhile job. All projects are well-run and great value for money. All transportation food and accommodation is organized for you, all you have to do is enjoy every minute of the experience, the end of my time in India came a bit too fast.

I would give VWI 10/10, I had an awesome time and want to thank everyone involved. I would highly recommend this company to future volunteers and will come back the next time I am in India.

Project was good, all mahouts that I worked with were friendly and tried to talk to me even limited English. Elephant work was good. It was good to be up close and personal with the elephants. All were well trained and I felt 100% safe when working closely with them. The Transport was reliable, on time and friendly. Project coordinator Raj was great to show us around and answer our question about elephants, the project, Indian culture. His English is really good which enabled us to communicate with him and the mahouts. Project was great, everything associated with the elephants was amazing, such a great experience.

The elephant project is incredible! The mahouts were very friendly and obviously we devoted to their elephants. Being able to wash and bathe the elephants was a highlight! The Project coordinator was amazing , very helpful and lovely to talk to. Totoram was the best driver. He was so friendly and accommodating & took us every morning for chai!
I will be back again with my mother.

The Project itself was very enjoyable. It was cool to get to know the elephant. The work was not too challenging. The Mahouts were friendly and joking with us. Raj the project coordinator was pleasant to have with us. Govind and Sukret were very accommodating too. Totoram the driver was kind and caring and we enjoyed his presence.
Definitely recommend the project.