Since its conception, the Surin Project has been relying in most part on volunteer fees to keep the project alive. Since January 2011, we have been running full time and been able to take on more elephants and widen our scope in the community. In order to keep the project running sustainably, we need an average or 8 volunteers a week on the project. Although the high season (December to March) sees more volunters on the project, we usually have between 6 and 12 volunteers present at all times, as well as several non-Thai staff running the project.

The majority of Thailand is Malaria free, with only a few pockets remaining on the border regions. Surin is far enough away from the border to not present any real risk. It is not considered a serious threat. There are however other mosquito borne diseases such as Dengue Fever, which although not fatal, are extremely umpleasant and would necessitate a trip to hospital (a 1 hour drive from the project). This can be mitigated however by covering up and applying mosquito repelent. Other vaccines that are recommended by doctors include typhoid, yellow fever and tetanus. These are all a good idea. (This information is purely based on experience and should not be a substitute for profesional medical advice. Please ask your doctor about these topics).

Due to the fact that we are working in such close proximity to the elephants and that there are so many in the area (over 200 elephants are kept in and around the village), we must pay special attention to safety and avoiding any injuries. While elephants can be very docile, they remain wild animal, albeit in captivity and therefore must be treated with precaution. As a result, we have a minimum age limit of 16 years old for any volunteers on the project, as long as they are accompanied by a legal guardian. Unacompanied volunteers will need to be at least 18 years of old to join the project.

Put simply, the Surin Project would not exist or function witout volunteers. The role of volunteers on the project is two fold; volunteers provide much needed help to the locals in helping them to plant, grow and harvest elephant food, build and fix shelters and provide physical assistance to the local community for whatever other projects they need help with. Secondly, volunteers serve as ambassadors for their countries and help to show the local community that people from all over the world want to see elephants evolve in their natural habitat and and interact together. Durin the week, we spend a lot of time with the elephants in the forest, letting them forage and explore their environment. Although this is not physical labour, it is a crucial part of the project, ensuring that the elephants are off their chains and showing the mahouts that there are alternatives to riding, shows and street begging.

In Thailand, it is customary to bring a small gift for ones hosts. This does not have to be anything expensive or grand, just a small gesture to show ones appreciation. It might be nice to bring somehting from ones home country, for example a local delicacy of some kind. This is by no means mandatory but it will help in building a lasting and healthy relationship with the local community.