Summer 2024 Session: June 16 - July 12

Rolling Admission until April 15

Asian Elephants in Context: Animal Behaviour and Conservation in Thailand is a 4 week field course that offers university students the opportunity to join an ongoing research project studying the behavior and ecology of re-wilded Asian elephants in their natural habitat. By promoting a multispecies approach to conservation, this course not only improves outcomes for animals and the environment, but also recognizes the interconnectedness of human health and well-being. In addition to participating in this vital research, students will have the chance to learn from expert staff, mahouts, and community leaders, and gain cultural immersion and language training in Sgaw Karen and Thai. Led by renowned conservation behaviorist Dr. Liv Baker, this program is perfect for students with a passion for biology, ecology, conservation, animal behavior, or animal welfare. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference in the world – apply now for the summer 2024 session, running from June 16 to July 12. Apply using our online application

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Curriculum Questions Contact: Dr. Liv Baker MEF Research director

Submit Applications Online: Application Link 

Course Description

The Asian Elephant Applied Behaviour and Conservation field course offers university students the opportunity to join an ongoing research project studying the behavior and ecology of re-wilded Asian elephants in their natural habitat. By promoting a multispecies approach to conservation, this course not only improves outcomes for animals and the environment, but also recognizes the interconnectedness of human health and well-being. During this immersive 4-week field course in Thailand participants will gain hands on experience developing and implementing ethological research on a topic of their choice, learning how to record and interpret behavioral data. Field course participants will learn from expert staff, mahouts, and community leaders about community-led conservation work. This is an immersive experience, where participants will be engaged in local culture, including language training in Sgaw Karen and Thai.

The importance of Field Experience

MEF researchers and affiliated scientists have pioneered a longitudinal research program to study how re-wilded elephants live in the forest. This research is the first of its kind on Asian elephants and is a vital, compassionate step forward. Our research will advance the scientific community’s ability to conserve and protect Asian elephants worldwide. Accepted field course students will participate in this research program.

There are hundreds of summer experiences for students, but engaging in field research with real-world application provides invaluable experience for students helping them to bridge the gap between theory and practice. We keep numbers small enabling personalized learning, tailored to each student’s individual research interests. Students have gone on from previous field courses to pursue graduate degrees inspired by this work, publish in academic journals, and kickstart their careers in wildlife conservation.

Life in the Field

As a field course participant, you will stay in local homestays in the village nestled within pristine cloud forest with breathtaking mountain views. The field site is in a remote Karen village in northern Thailand. The villagers speak S’gaw Karen and Thai. The accommodations are basic, clean and comfortable. Toilets are mostly western-style and showers are a traditional bucket bath. There is no running hot water in the village, and energy is all solar-based. Supported by MEF bi-and tri-lingual field staff, students will gain valuable cultural immersion experience – joining villagers in activities such as, rice planting, foraging for native vegetables, animal tracking, fabric weaving, forest crafts, and traditional meal preparation. Students will also gain language skills in Sgaw Karen and Thai through formal lessons as a part of the coursework, and by conversing with community members. 

Expert Course Instruction

Course Instructor - Liv Baker, PhD, MSc.

Dr Liv Baker works with Mahouts Elephant Foundation, directing their research program. Dr. Baker is a conservation behaviorist and an expert in wild animal well-being. Her research focuses on the role individual wild animals have in the health of their social groups and populations. Dr Baker’s work explores the similar patterns of well-being and behavior seen across the animal kingdom. Dr Baker’s conservation research projects involve a range of wild animals, including, elephants, primates, arachnids, rodents, and macropods. Dr. Baker is a faculty member at Sarah Lawrence College and the Chairperson of the board of Panworks.

Dr. Baker will assist students with preparation for their field study and will join students for the first week of their field experience, providing on-site lectures and research guidance. After which, students will work on their individual projects with guidance from MEF facilitators and staff. 

Course Facilitator - MEF Founder and CEO Sarah Blaine

Sarah Blaine has been working for over a decade to reform the elephant tourism industry, and is an industry pioneer in developing transformative, community driven solutions for elephants and mahouts. She is passionate about supporting this work with research that can inform future best practices, and be widely communicated. Sarah works leading the team on the ground and internationally with industry stakeholders. Her expertise provides students with valuable insight into the complexities and challenges of nonprofit management, especially how to successfully lead diverse teams in creating lasting change on the ground for elephants and people. 

The Field Course is run in Collaboration with PAN Works

PAN Works is an ethics non-profit based in the US, providing a global platform for ethicists and scientists working to improve animal wellbeing. PAN Works cultivates compassion, respect, and justice for animals; a reverence for the community of life; and a desire for people, animals and nature to thrive together. PAN Works generates ethically informed, scientifically rigorous research articles, popular essays, courses, seminars, and workshops to build interdisciplinary knowledge useful to deliberative decision making. 

Tuition and Fees:

Course Fee: £ 3,000.00

Course Fee includes:

• One on one guidance in research project development

• On site instruction by Dr. Baker

• Pre-trip orientation and support from MEF staff

• Pre-trip readings and instruction

• Welcome pack on arrival

• On-site accommodations and meals (3x/day)

• Program-related travel (ground transportation)

• On-site lectures and cultural experiences

• On-site translators in the field and language lessons

• Research Equipment