MELIÁ KOH SAMUI COMES TO THE RESCUE TO FEED ELEPHANTS DURING TOUGH TIMES (Thailand)
The first Meliá resort to open in Thailand has provided land for a community farm to help feed elephants rescued from exploitation activities.
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MELIÁ KOH SAMUI COMES TO THE RESCUE TO FEED ELEPHANTS DURING TOUGH TIMES (Thailand)
The first Meliá resort to open in Thailand has provided land for a community farm to help feed elephants rescued from exploitation activities.
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Category: Asia Pacific - Thailand - Industry economy
- Sustainability
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2021-02-22
Filed by Balcony Media Group
KOH SAMUI, Thailand (Feb. 22, 2020) – 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 necessary, its herd has been getting only a fraction of its normal food intake.”
The sanctuary opened in 2018 as a safe harbor for elephants that had been put to work on tourist treks, as show animals and in the logging industry. At the Haven, they are free to roam the 10-hectare sanctuary, to play, forage for native plants and bathe in various pools.
As a result of the global pandemic Samui Elephant Haven is spending funds previously allocated for land rental to feed its herd, prompting fears it will be unable to continue renting the land and be forced to displace the elephants.
To educate guests about the plight of rescued elephants and encourage them to visit and support the sanctuary, Meliá Koh Samui has unveiled an elephant mascot Coco to provide information about the Haven and as a host for educational activities about the elephants at the resort's kids club 'Kidsdom'.
The community farm and mascot Coco's debut are the latest in a string of initiatives by the resort to help the hard-hit local community.
The resort's staff have funded and distributed packs brimming with essential items such as rice, noodles, cooking oil, milk, tinned food and more to people in need.
The resort is also home to The Gallery, situated in the lobby, a not-for-profit social enterprise designed to help improve the lives of Thai communities. The Gallery sells accessories such as handbags, wallets, and silks, and home décor items such as ceramics and wooden model boats, made by Thai designers and artists. All profits support further artistic endeavors as well as help preserve and promote local culture and areas in need.
To contact Samui Elephant Haven and make a donation, please visit samuielephanthaven.org, call +66 95 628 6160 or email info@samuielephanthaven.org
For further information about Meliá Koh Samui or to make a booking, please visit www.melia.com, call +66 (0) 89 184 0725 or email reservation.kohsamui@melia.com
About Meliá Hotels & ResortsMeliá Hotels & Resorts is the best-known international brand in the portfolio of the Meliá Hotels International company; it has more than 100 city and resort hotels in the main leisure and business destinations of Europe, Asia, Africa and America. The brand offers exemplary meetings and events facilities in all important business cities as well as in exotic locations, catering to the ever-expanding conference and incentive travel market. As part of its innovation philosophy and new positioning, Meliá Hotels & Resorts has reinvented itself to cater to every aspect of the guests’ wellbeing. Unique experiences are created for guests and are defined by relaxation, quality time and personalised services. For a balanced lifestyle, Meliá Hotels & Resorts instinctively understands the guests’ needs and lifestyle expectations, which is an integral part of its redefined identity.
About Meliá Hotels InternationalFounded in 1956 in Mallorca (Spain), Meliá Hotels International operates more than 390 hotels (portfolio and pipeline) throughout more than 40 countries, under the brands Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus by Meliá, ME by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, INNSiDE by Meliá, Sol by Meliá and TRYP by Wyndham. The Company is the global leader in resort hotels, while also leveraging its experience to consolidate the growing segment of the leisure-inspired urban market. Its commitment to responsible tourism has led the Group to become the most sustainable hotel company in the world in 2019, according to SAM, the sustainable investment company. Meliá Hotels International is also included in the IBEX 35 Spanish stock market index and it is the Spanish hotel leader in Corporate Reputation (Merco Ranking). Follow Meliá Hotels International on Weibo @MeliaHotelslnt, WeChat official account @MeliaHotelslnt, Twitter @MeliaHotelsInt, Facebook meliahotelsinternational and official website www.melia.com.
About Asset World CorporationAsset World Corp Public Company Limited (“AWC”) is Thailand’s leading integrated lifestyle real estate group under TCC Group, with a sustainable diversified development pipeline for future growth as well as the potential for long-term capital appreciation. AWC’s business operations are organized into two principal segments: (i) Hospitality, comprising hotels managed and operated by the world’s leading hotel chains (ii) Retail and Commercial Building, comprising Retail and Wholesale group which includes world-class tourist lifestyle destination, community shopping mall, community market and wholesale space, with such well-known projects as Asiatique the Riverfront, Gateway at Bangsue, Pantip Plaza Pratunam and Tawanna Bangkapi; and Office Building group with prominent projects located in highly sought-after, central business district in Bangkok like Empire Tower, Athenee Tower, etc. Recently on October 10, 2019, Asset World Corporation succeeded in listing the company on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) in the real estate and construction industry under the property development category. AWC’s market capitalization was highest in the history of the SET (According to Bloomberg Database).
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