You Can Now Sleep In A “Jungle Bubble” Surrounded By Rescue Elephants In Thailand

By Mayukh Saha / Truth Theory

Most of us at some point in time have envisioned sleeping under the dark sky, peeping at the stars hiding behind the clouds. Well, a Thai resort is actually making that a reality. The Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort in Northern Thailand now proudly boasts of ‘Jungle-bubbles’- a 263-square-feet area of transparent structures where guests can stay. The transparent bubbles are located at the edge of the said resort, with a clear view of the sky.

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These bubbles are constructed of high-quality polyester fabric and they also feature indoor air-conditioning, a living space, and a king-sized bed. Every bubble contains a bathroom, obviously not transparent. You are provided food by a helper in a picnic basket so that you can simply languish and watch the sun rise and set. And, you get protection in the form of rescue elephants.

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The elephants number close to 60 and every single one of them has been rescued from the streets. Although it is illegal for elephants to be seen walking in the streets amongst humans, Bangkok contains at least 100 elephants all traversing the streets in search of alms. They could get injured, but they would still be forced into slavery.

Elephant handlers in charge of these animals are either poorly trained or poorly equipped in their care of elephants. They don’t know what to do when the elephant gets injured, and on most occasions simply care more for their pockets than the elephant’s well-being.

Needless to say, the elephants aren’t really given five-star treatment. They suffer from several ailments of the feet, lungs, trunk, and skin. Some even turn fatal resulting in the death of the elephant. In this situation, Anantara Elephant Camp has played a huge role in protecting these elephants from human brutality.

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While this resort is really doing a great job with the elephants, one can’t help be cautious about their ulterior intentions. In this regard, the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand has been of major help as they have kept advising tourists to not pay for any promised entertainment in the form of animal brutality.

This resort is doing extremely well, for they value their ethics too highly. Even their entertainment is planned ethically and ecologically. While they do want their tourists to explore the wilderness and the beings that live there, the way is different. A program titled ‘Walking With the Giants’ has tourists simply walking with the elephants as they enjoy their life post-slavery.

Also, there is a vet present that teaches tourists about elephants. So, the tourists are left with not just fun, but also a whole host of information about animal care.

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The benefits are manifold- on one hand, you have humans interacting with elephants on a very humane level, and on the other hand, you have elephants that can be free in their natural habitat.

But there are several problems with this resort too. One of them being electric fences that keep elephants away from guests. While one can plead a case that this is simply a precaution to keep tourists from harm’s way, one cannot simply put the animal in that position.

Also, this resort allows elephant riding, but on their neck. Now, while this resort has done its research, it is not assured that every other resort has. And a social media picture is catalyst enough for more and more people to come and try the same. Anantara resort believes that sitting on the elephant’s neck is not harmful to the animal, but how many resorts will follow through with that?

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If you want to stay at this location, all you need to do is research on the place, the culture, and the animals. Lack of research won’t bode you well.

Also, the price is fixed at $585 for two nights at the ‘Jungle-bubbles’. Happy booking!