Boonmee ‘Joy’ Singhkorn smiled as he slowly walked beside his beloved elephant Nooknik. They cautiously approached the muddy river alongside the group of elephants, ready for the morning bath. He was wearing his usual outfit of a mo hom shirt (traditional Thai shirt), jeans and a red loincloth tied around his waist to keep it together.

Joy’s journey as a mahout (elephant trainer or rider) started when he was 12 years old, when he finished grade 6. He has been with Elephants since he was 4 years old, walking with them in the forest with his uncle.

Despite not having a Traditional academic education, Joy is very happy with how his life has turned out. He has stated that if he is not a mahout, taking care of elephants, he would be a farmer growing crops back in his hometown Buriram (about 300km northeast of the Thai capital Bangkok) or he would just stay at home and be unemployed.