Medical Centre
The EleAid Medical centre was built in 2005 at the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand as part of our committment to provide infrastructure and support for elephant conservation projects in Asia. EleAid also provided medicines and equipment.
Medical Centre Update
On these pages we will give you updates of the medical centre as it is being built.
We would like to express our grateful thanks to Elephant Loans and the many individual donors who helped us with this project.
Early March 2005
This early phase involved numerous discussions with Lek and the architect. We were able to agree the final design of the medical centre. The structure has been planned to fit Lek’s specification based on her studies of other elephant medical facilities both in Thailand and other parts of Asia.
The medical centre will comprise of two main areas: a rest/isolation area for elephants with transmittable diseases or those requiring intensive 24 hour care and a treatment room with a sterile area where vets and mahouts will be able to administer medical care.
Lek has chosen the site of the medical centre. It is positioned in the centre of the Park, well away from the river to reduce the danger of flooding.
The Chiang Mai architects who have designed the centre are highly reputable and have worked on a large number of Thai government projects. The centre will be built from iron, steel, brick and reinforced concrete. The architects have allowed for the use of materials of the highest quality and once completed the centre will be the sturdiest structure at the Nature Park by some distance. Built to last in order to give many years of effective treatment for the Park?fs residents and other animals!
Our next task was to find the best prices for materials and we then awarded the building contract to one of three local firms that we invited to tend for the contract. The builders have previously worked on numerous major contracts in the Mae Taeng area and we are all confident they will do a good job.
March 25th 2005 – Marking Out
The builders get to work.
March 27th – Digging the Foundations
March 30th – Sinking the Support Columns
April 1st – Preparing the Steel Reinforcement
April 2nd – Skeleton Taking Shape
April 3rd – Building the Medical Room Wall
April 4th – Preparing the Raised Base
April 5th – Setting the Columns
April 6th – Medical Room Taking Shape
April 7th – Concreting the Columns
23rd April – Starting on the Roof Superstructure
After a delay for the Thai new Year festivities and material shortages work finally restarted!
May 1st – Medical Room
May 3rd – Roofing Superstructure Complete
May 14th – Roof Complete and Walls Plastered
May 14th Side View
May 14th – Rear View
May 28th – Painted and almost ready!
May 28th – Rear View
