Volunteer Work With Elephants

I actually volunteered twice for the Elephant program, once in 2014, and again in Feb 2015. It is a super fun program that not only gives you a once in a lifetime experience up close and personal with Elephants, but also gives you a window into the life of the people who own and care for these animals and their families.
You can expect to wake up early (4 or 5am.) And take a 20min tuk tuk ride to the Elephant Village. There is some dirty work involved, such as picking up the poop (they give you gloves) and emptying the poop in a field. But the experience is great, the elephants are friendly and love treats such as bananas, apples, oranges...after all your hard work, you'll enjoy a nice cup of chai and a chat with the mahouts. Maybe even an elephant ride or two!
***Be advised going into this program that this is not an Elephant rescue program, or a Elephant Reserve. These elephants WORK. They are used to give tours up to Amber Fort and other places around Jaipur. Sometimes they are used for weddings. Some of these elephants were rescued from circuses or other abusive settings and brought to the elephant village. They still are used for tours however. In this program I can tell you first hand that these elephants are properly cared for. They are provided with veterinarian care regularly (one had an ear infection and was visited by a vet and treated daily with topical ointment as well as antibiotics while I was there.) They are fed properly (probably excessively! They get lots of treats!) and all are provided shelter and bedding to sleep on. They are chained when inside their shelter, and they are chained while you are cleaning up around them. This is for the protection of the people working near them. Although elephants are friendly and peaceful, they are still a huge animal with a lot of power and capable of severe damage, even if it is unintentional. As far as other reports of use of a bull hook go, I have seen a bull hook in one location. I have never seen it used on any of the elephants. None of the elephants I was around ever had wounds indicating bull hook use, or any other kind of abuse. Some of the elephants, that came from previous circumstances, have old scars around their ears and top of their head. These are obviously very old, and have been healed many years. Never have I seen any elephant with any fresh wound anywhere.
Volunteers help in two ways in this program: 1) The fee you pay to do this program goes to help the families who own the elephants, as well as provide food and care for the elephants themselves. These families are poor. The elephant tours are their sole source of income for many of them. Some of them can hardly afford to feed themselves, let alone an elephant. This program ensures that the elephant is properly fed, cared for, sheltered, and has access to medical attention.
2) Helping the family clean and take care of the elephant in the morning gives the family extra time to take care of children, spend time together, eat breakfast together etc. before they go out to make their money for the day.
I enjoyed this program so much I came back a year later and did it again. I think it does a lot of good for these people, as well as the elephants. But if you're looking for an experience working at an elephant sanctuary or reserve for rescued elephants, this is not it.

I traveled alone to India and worked 2 weeks with the elephants in the month of February. It was a life changing experience for sure and I feel blessed to have been able to work so closely with these magnificent animals. Totoram, the tuk tuk driver is a wonderful man who I felt safe with and well cared for. All the employees of VWI made me feel looked after as they checked in with me regularly to see how I was doing. The program is very affordable. The guest house was good. Living there was an authentic Indian experience that I will never forget. Although I am not a morning person, getting up at 0430 hours and being the first person the elephants saw in the morning made my day. I took bananas as a treat so they could start their day off happy. It was pretty cool to see the city come alive during the morning tuk tuk rides. Having the afternoons off to sight see or shop or hang out was perfect. I highly recommend this program to everyone. The work was not hard and the memories will be in my heart forever. Good Job VWI!

I was there 1 week in January 2015. Working days started at 5:00am. We cleaned the enclosures and fed the elephants before they went to work. Then we had a nice Masala Tea at the fire. Around 8:30am we were back and the rest of the day was free.
Accommodation with host family was basic but ok. Also food was good.
I hope I can manage to go there again. Would recommend this Project to everyone.

We got up every morning at 4.30 and got picked up by the most amazing tuk tuk driver - Totoram. Then we drove for about half an hour to where the six lady elephants were waiting for us to wake them up :) We were back at the guest house around 8.00 every morning, and then we had the rest of the day off (except for two days a week when we went back to work in the afternoon to feed the elephants).

The work was not hard at all, and there was chai time (tea time) almost every 15 minutes :P The animals are huge, and in the beginning I was a little scared, but after the second day I trusted them completely. I also got the chance to "play" a little bit with them by asking the guys who worked with the elephants to teach me how to climb one. That was probably the highlight of the week, along with washing them and riding them.

The family we lived with was also fantastic (they even invited us to a wedding while we were there), but the food could have been better. Sometimes we only got chapati for breakfast, or we didn't get breakfast or lunch at all.

I had an great time working with the elephants. Even within the one week they were there we got to know them and their personalities. The mahouts who care for the elephants are all extremely nice and feed you up with chai. Sukret kept in contact with us from the moment we booked the experience right until the very end (we now even have him and Govind on facebook). Our tuk tuk driver was the loveliest man in the world. My friend Megan spilt coffee on herself as we were sightseeing and he pulled over and rinsed her down! The host family were extremely accommodating and made us feel at home. Although while we were there, the daughter-in-law was basically in labour and one of the daughters was getting engaged, so it was a bit hectic.
I can assure you that this project and all the people are legitimate. We have a very near miss. Our driver for around Rajisthan tooko us to who we thought was Sukret, but the guy claimed to be Sukret's cousin. After attempting to take our money several times, we rang Sukret just to double check, and he said he had no idea who that man was and didn't have a cousin that worked at the elephant village. It was a close call!

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.

I had a wonderful time in Jaipur with Elephants. During my 4 weeks of project with VWI i also go to visit some of the beautiful places in Jaipur, Agra, Pushkar & Delhi. Here people are so friendly.

My work with the elephants starts everyday in morning; VWI has dedicated driver which pick me up in time and drop at the project site; there is project coordinator always there which assist me all the work to help mahouts and to care elephants. My work was there to everyday clean the area, wash the elephants, feed them and also go to afternoon to made chapati's. The work environment with the elephants and mahouts is so happy and fun.

The host family is so nice, my room was nice, food was great. I definitely recommend this project for future volunteers.

I went to Jaipur to work with the elephants and what a great experience it was.

If you are looking for an authentic experience then this is the project for you. From the family to the transport it is the real deal.

I was worried as a lone slightly older traveller about how safe I would be. I need not have worried at all, at every stage the organisation exceeded expectations leaving me free to enjoy the experience.

The day starts early and so if you are working with the elephants you have a lot of downtime. It is worth noting here it may be better to do this trip with a friend since I did get a little bored at the house.

Whilst on the trip it was the Holie festival and what fun be aware that you are not told to oil your body before playing so that the powder does not stain. I was bright pink for almost a week!!! Thanks Sukret.

Live a little and go for this adventure.