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.