Unsung Heroes: Woman In Conservation: Dr. Sangdeaun “Lek” Chailert (Born 1961)

“One of the easiest things we can do to save these beautiful animals is simply share and inform on social media.” – Lek Chailert, from a presentation at Chapman University, Irvine, CA, 2016

My source material is here.

Lek Chailert was born in 1961 in Thailand. Her grandfather was the village shaman and was given an elephant as a thank you for saving someone’s life; Lek grew up with this magnificent creature as a pet, but it wasn’t until she worked in the tourism industry and witnessed their exploitation firsthand that she dedicated her life to protecting them. In the early 90’s she began rescuing these creatures and in 2003, Dr. Chailert created a preserve for them in northern Thailand where they could live their remaining days the way they were meant to – free and wild. Her SaveElephant Foundation has a twofold purpose – to educate elephant owners and to help transition them out of riding, performances and other harmful practices into ones that respect the welfare of the elephants. For her work, Dr. Chailert has received worldwide recognition including multiple Genesis Awards from the American Humane Society and being named one of six Women Heroes of Global Conservation by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Her nickname “Lek” means small in the Thai language, but there’s nothing small about this woman’s love and determination at all, is there?