Our staff - Elephant Freedom Village

Non Chai

Co-creator of EFV

Non is the heart and soul of EFV and has been working professionally working with elephants since he was 15 years old. He truly understands them and has a bond with each of the elephants that is truly indescribable. It is through is guidance that our guests are able to connect with and better understand our elephant family.

Non has been trying to create a camp to protect his elephants and his culture since 2013 and has faced many types of backlash/betrayal along the way. Rather than type his life story here, we welcome you to come to EFV and hear from him first-hand!

Non’s charismatic charm brings a special energy to all tours- he is not a person you will soon forget

Niijan (“knee-jawn”)

Camp manager

Niijan is one of the gentle souls behind all the action at EFV and is the best camp manager we could ask for. He has been working with elephants since he was 11 years old, earning as little as 700THB/month at the time. Niijan truly loves the elephants at EFV and has a special connection with each one.

Uncle to everyone, he can seem a bit shy at first, but don’t let that fool you- once people start to get more comfortable on their tour, let the pranks begin!

Pawarisa

Full-time staff, organizer

EFV is very lucky to have Pawarisa, Non’s youngest sister, assisting with camp activities, cooking, and cleaning. She is also the creator of all of the elephant bracelets sold at EFV! You might find her to be quite shy, but she is truly one of the sweetest people you could ever meet.

Pawarisa is the first person in her family to ever go to university! She graduated from Chiang Mai Rajabhat University in 2019 with a degree in Tourism and Hospitality. With the experience she gains at EFV, she hopes to one day open her own café.

Sakcharn (“Sa-Cha”)

Full-time tour guide, local transportation, maintenance

Sakcharn only just started to learn English in May of 2022, but he has become our most social and outgoing tourguide! He is the youngest person in Nonchai, Chai, and Pawarisa’s family, with the personality to match.

Sakcharn was drafted into the Thai military for a 2 year service and is now happy to be back in the jungle working alongside his family. Sakcharn is also our main driver within the village and elephant camp, so you will see a lot of him if you book a full-day or overnight tour! He is a constant jokester and loves to make new friends- his latest goal is to get 1 million followers on Instagram

Chai-Lek

Driver, tour guide

Chai-Lek is one of Non’s younger brothers and is undoubtedly our goofiest tourguide and driver. Chai, like Non, began working with elephants in his teenage years and has worked with various tour groups as he got older. He is rather outgoing and is a perfect host to those under his care.

Though he might not admit it, he has a secret talent playing football/soccer and loves to play competitively when he is not in the role of the doting husband.

Janjira (“jawn-jee-ruh”)

Bookkeeper

Janjira, wife of Chai-Lek, is EFV’s incredible bookkeeper! She helps keep the camp’s finances in order with her administrative expertise. She is very passionate and, like most EFV staff, an incredibly hard worker. Janjira is incredibly dedicated to her family and always works to support them to the fullest.

She and Pawarisa were in the same class at Chiang Mai Rajabhat University where she also graduated with a degree in Tourism and Hospitality in 2019.

Wirot “wee-wrote”

Driver

For larger group tours, Wirot is our luxury van driver. He has 1 son with development disabilities and is the sole provider for both his son and his parents-in-law.

Wirot is one of the hardest workers you will ever meet and has quite a gentle spirit. Unlike many hilltribe people, Wirot was fortunate enough to go to technical college where he studied to be a mechanic. Nowadays, though, his main focus is driving both luxury vans and construction trucks for projects around the village.

Loo

Elephant Keeper

Like Niijan and Thanadoh, Loo has been working with elephants for a large majority of his life. He doesn’t know any English, but he has a gentle personality and a sweet smile that will stick with guests for a while!

He is partially paralyzed on his left side after an unexplained medical event a few years back, so you will often see him with a walking stick/cane on tours. Loo is always happy to meet new people and is even more excited to see them around the village after the tour!

Noodoh (“New-doh”)

Elephant Keeper

Both sides of Noodoh’s family have owned elephants for centuries so he grew up in close proximity with them. He has been professionally working with them since he was 16 and is incredibly dedicated to his own elephant, our bull “Golah Su”. Noodoh is the only person at EFV that Golah Su will listen or respond to, which can make Noodoh’s job quite challenging sometimes.

Noodoh is the type of person who can truly live off the land- it is not uncommon to find him foraging for, hunting, and cooking his own food out in the jungle

Noom

Elephant Keeper

Noom was a recent addition to the team, having only joined EFV in September of 2022. He has never been an elephant keeper before, so will undergo training for several years before he can confidently lead and direct elephants on tours. He is also slowly but steadily learning English, and will often sit in on conversations amongst guests and tourguides in order to learn faster. He is very smart, and is a true man of the jungle with an affinity for hunting and foraging

Pin (“Bean”)

Chef

Pin is the amazing lady behind all of the food at EFV! She is a mom to 2 boys who have seemingly infinite energy – you’ll meet them and her husband, P’Taw, on any overnight tours! Pin actually has her own road-side restaurant that is very popular with the villagers of NongTao. Pin is an incredible hostess with a kind heart and shy, yet goofy personality. She is an incredibly hard worker and we are so, so lucky to have her as part of our team!

Noodoh is the type of person who can truly live off the land- it is not uncommon to find him foraging for, hunting, and cooking his own food out in the jungle

Thanadoh (“Tan-uh-doh”)

Elephant Keeper

Thanadoh is quite a charismatic keeper- it’s all he knows and the only thing he loves! Thanadoh is yet another keeper that grew up with and has always lived amongst elephants. His English is still developing, but that won’t stop him from having a full-on conversation with you! Thanadoh is easily one of our most experienced keepers, having worked with elephants for over 30 years already. Like Niijan, Thanadoh has worked with Nonchai and his elephants for around 10 years now. EFV wouldn’t be quite the same without him!

Chadt is an incredible cook and a skilled hunter – though he insists on only hunting animals that destroy local crops. He is truly a gentle soul and loves to laugh once he gets over being shy.

Carmelle – left EFV 07/2024

Co-creator, Manager

Carmelle is a dual citizen of Canada/USA and partnered with Nonchai in early 2019 to create EFV. Her background is veterinary medicine and behaviour, so if you see a lot of dogs around the elephant camp, you can blame her and her alone!

Carmelle will do most of the website details, bookings, social media advertising, and evening portions of tours. She prefers to stay in the background for the most part, as not to “steal the spotlight” from the Karen people who have worked so hard to make this camp possible. If you ask her what her main role is, she will say that she is a “cultural bridge” for the Karen people- helping to explain the culture and help people understand their practices and way of life better.

Alexis

Web guy

Alexis (left on the picture) is a university teacher and a web designer in Bangkok. His students made our website so he updates it and fix the occasional bugs. He is handsmome, smart and funny and since he has admin access he can write pretty much what he wants on his bio.