FAE's Elephant Hospital

FAE's Elephant Hospital, run by the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Foundation, is recognized as the world's first hospital dedicated specifically to elephants. Established in 1994 by founder Soraida Salwala in Lampang, Thailand, the facility provides medical treatment, rehabilitation, and care for sick, injured, and abused elephants free of charge to their owners.

The hospital gained international acclaim for its pioneering work with prosthetic limbs, creating custom prosthetics for elephants that lost limbs after stepping on landmines near the border, most famously patients like Motala and Mosha. The sprawling facility includes specialized infirmaries, operating areas, recovery spaces, and accommodations for mahouts to stay alongside their animals during treatment. Unlike commercial elephant tourism camps, FAE operates purely as a medical and recovery sanctuary where visitors can observe the animals quietly without close-contact touching or riding.

Medical treatment and care provided to elephants at the hospital are entirely free of charge, and visiting mahouts are accommodated at no cost during their stay.

There is no mandatory admission or entrance fee for visitors, though the facility operates entirely on private donations and visitor contributions to sustain its high operational costs.

The hospital is situated along the Lampang-Chiangmai Road (Highway 11) in the Viengtan sub-district of Hang Chat district in Lampang Province. It is located within a forested natural reserve environment characteristic of northern Thailand's mountainous terrain, surrounded by quiet rural landscapes and dense greenery.

The location is outside the Bangkok metropolitan area, accessible by private vehicle, taxi, or organized regional tour from Chiang Mai or Lampang via the Lampang-Chiangmai Road.