Meliá Koh Samui, the first Meliá resort to open in Thailand, has provided land for a community farm to help feed elephants rescued from exploitation activities.
Located 200 metres from Meliá Koh Samui on the north-eastern tip of Koh Samui island, the 250 square metre farm supports 200 banana trees, as well as such additional elephant fodder as napier and sweet grass.
The formation of the farm was spurred by news that ethical elephant sanctuary Samui Elephant Haven was struggling to feed its herd of 21 elephants in the wake of a dramatic downturn in tourist numbers to the island due to the global pandemic.
“These magnificent animals need to eat 10% of their body weight in food daily, which is up to 400kg per elephant,” said the resort’s general manager, Ernesto Osuna. “With the sanctuary trying to survive on only 5% of the funding…
