Thai Elephant Conservation Center

It is run by the Forest Industry Organization (FIO), a state enterprise under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and is described as the only government-owned elephant camp. The FIO was founded in 1947 and for decades worked more than 200 logging elephants.

In 1969 the FIO founded the Young Elephant Training Centre at Ban Pang La in Ngao district, Lampang — the first school for logging elephants; TrueID credits Prof. Dr. Amnuay Kovanich. When a nationwide logging ban came in 1989, the elephants lost their work and the centre gradually turned to conservation.

In 1991 it moved to Thung Kwian forest park in Hang Chat. Opening dates vary: TrueID says Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn opened it on 4 March 1992 with room for about 117 elephants, LoveThailand says January 1992, and some sources give 1993, probably when royal patronage began.

It is under the patronage of Princess Galyani Vadhana, who visited on 13 January 2002 and accepted the newly upgraded National Elephant Institute under her patronage. Its full name today is the National Elephant Institute under Royal Patronage.

The centre runs an elephant hospital and Thailand's first mobile elephant clinic, giving free treatment nationwide. One source says the mobile unit began in 1999 and the hospital officially opened in 2000; the often-quoted 1993 date probably belongs to the separate Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital nearby (whose founder gives October 1994). An elephant blood bank began in 2017, and the mobile clinic was vital during COVID in 2020 when camps lost their income.

It was the first place in Thailand to teach elephants to paint, and home of the Thai Elephant Orchestra, created by the institute's Richard Lair with musician Dave Soldier, with albums from 2002 to 2025. In 1998 it won a Thailand Tourism Award as an outstanding natural attraction.

It cares for several royal elephants: Matichon (2018) counted 9 important elephants and more than 90 domestic ones, while Thai Post (2022) put the total at over 100. There is also an elderly-elephant home at Pang La in Ngao, opened on 21 November 2009.

Many elephants have stories here. In 2009 a calf born by artificial insemination received a royal name, reported as Asia's first success with fresh semen. In December 2018 a businessman donated a herd of 14 elephants; in 2019 the snare-injured calf Phang Fah Jaem arrived, followed by the calf Nong Mina in November 2023.

On 2 July 2023 Phlai Sak Surin, about 30, whom Thailand had given to Sri Lanka in 2001, flew back to Chiang Mai and spent 30 days in quarantine at the centre, which closed to visitors meanwhile. On 19 August 2023 he moved to a new area near the hospital. Matichon says public viewing began on 29 August 2023 at 14:00–16:00, while a 2024 report calls the Prime Minister's visit on 9 June 2024 the first opening, so accounts conflict.

On 25 August 2023 the centre held the world's first professional qualification test for mahouts, at Level 2, aiming to certify 30.

In October 2024 centre staff helped rescue elephants in the Mae Taeng floods in Chiang Mai, where 118 elephants were caught and two died.

Thai Elephant Day on 13 March, set by Cabinet resolution, is the centre's big event, running two to three days with offerings, blessing ceremonies, merit for elephants that have died, alms and an elephant khantoke. On 13 March 2026, despite rain, 29 elephants were blessed, alms were given at six points and the elephants feasted on bananas, sugarcane, pears, watermelon and corn. The 2026 calendar also included weddings on elephant-back in February and a Songkran festival with the elephants.

Thai Elephant Day was set by a Cabinet resolution of 26 May 1998, published in the Royal Gazette on 18 June 1998. 13 March was chosen as the day the white elephant was named Thailand's national animal; the date of the royal elephant duel was considered first, but it was already Armed Forces Day.

Demonstrations run at about 11:00 and 13:30, with a 10:00 show at some times; elephants are bathed about 15 minutes beforehand, and herd viewing runs 14:30–15:30 at weekends. The centre opens 08:30–15:30. 2023 fees were 100 baht for Thai adults and 50 for children, 200 and 150 baht for foreigners, plus 50 baht parking. Confirm show times on 054-829-333.

In 2023 the centre still sold bareback and howdah rides, and no end to riding has been announced. Visitors concerned about welfare can choose non-riding options such as bathing, herd viewing or the "Visit Celeb 69" programme — close viewing of the Pang Boon and Mae Wang herds on Saturdays in June–July 2026 for 699 baht. Mahout courses and homestays are offered; ask for current prices.