Elephants in Nepal and Volunteering

It appears elephants are treated much better in Nepal than Thailand. (1/3 of Nepal is jungle.)

http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/blog/nepal/elephant-tourism-in-nepal-is-it-different/

One thing to remember about Asian elephants compared to African elephants: They are mostly born in captivity and have been historically used as work animals, just like horses, mules, and oxen.

Volunteering seems to be much cheaper in Nepal than Thailand. In Thailand it was $600 per week. In Nepal it is $300 for 2 weeks and $1200 for 12 weeks.

www.volunteersummernepal.org/volunteer-with-elephants-in-chitwan-nepal

Another idea is the Peace Corps. They not only pay your travel and living expenses, after 27 months you get $8000 transitional funds for school or tourism. They don't have any elephant programs, but they do have volunteers in both Thailand and Nepal. Also, you get 48 vacation days during that time. You also get full medical and dental coverage. There are openings in the 100 slots for Thailand. There are no openings for the 60 slots in Nepal. But, one could apply now for a future opening there.

Namaste From (halfway to) Nepal