In December I had the most wonderful experience visiting the Green Elephant Sanctuary in Phuket Thailand. They rescue elephants from abuse and neglect offering a safe haven banning chains and riding. We were given the opportunity to feed each elephant cucumbers and bananas. We then covered the bodies and trunks of each elephant with mud from a shallow pond. Each elephant was then moved to a deeper pond where we rinsed the mud from them. After we showered in immaculate facilities we were given a fabulous lunch. These elephants are not pets but each one is assigned one caretaker. This person devotes their entire life to their elephant until death of either the elephant or themselves. If they die a family member takes over the care. This falls in keeping with my philosophy that pets are for life. I would highly recommend visiting this sanctuary should you make your way to Thailand.