Unchained Elephants, a new NFT art project, seeks to rescue two or more working elephants in Thailand. The project will use the proceeds from its NFT sales to buy and rescue these animals from abusive work environments to unchain them in a safer environment.
In addition to helping elephant’s welfare, Unchained Elephants will also give back to its supporters by offering an exclusive travel club where they can enjoy special benefits and perks such as discounts on excursions, tours and hotels. While at the same time build up a community of responsible travellers who are passionate about animals and social causes.
NFT art project is capturing the attention of the web 3.0 community, hoteliers in Thailand & responsible travellers all around the world. There are those who are into NFTs and the handy utility and benefits it provides while creating an investment opportunity. For travellers, being part of an exclusive travel club which offers unusual and exciting travel perks is a major draw for NFT-savvy buyers and animal lovers alike, and many hotel brands of various sizes are wanting to get on board. It provides them with the opportunity to take their first steps into the complex world of web 3.0 whilst supporting an excellent cause and adding extra value for their customers.
The heart breaking truth that many do not know
As some of you may be aware of how these captive elephants were trained in order to provide trekkings, shows etc., many other people just like we were once, are not. They do not know that young elephants are forced into a life of servitude, beaten and broken into submission. Part of the ethos of Unchained Elephants is to educate people, to make them aware of the harsh truth behind visiting elephant trekking camps and animal shows that keep their elephants chained up. The misconstrued idea that by visiting such places you are supporting elephants by keeping them fed needs to be called out for what it is. Misinformation. The only way to sever this vicious circle of brutality is to stop the demand for such activity. You know that, we know that, but the message needs pushing and Unchained Elephants is doing its best to make the change.
About Unchained Elephants NFT Project
Unchained Elephants first goal is to raise awareness and rescue captive elephants working in harsh conditions to unchain them in a safer environment in Thailand. Furthermore, the NFT's main initiative is to raise awareness and educate travellers around the world about the harsh truth behind the welfare of these elephants. By educating travellers they hope to stop the demand for elephant trekking or animal shows. The Unchained Elephants team wishes to provide the opportunity to the local people to be able to better the lives of these animals by offering the support and education they require in order to put the elephant welfare at the forefront and run their business on a more ethical practice.
The Original Unchained Elephants collection included 99 hand-drawn elephants by renowned Ecuadorian artist Luis Felipe Donoso. In their upcoming collection of 9,900 NFTs, each depicts a calm elephant sitting in meditation, enjoying various settings. The collection will be minted on the XRP blockchain (XRPLedger).
Daniel Villota, the founder of Unchained Elephants, started the project originally to relieve struggling elephants in Phuket when the world went into lockdown. As several elephants were given back to their local caretakers there was no income for them to support these elephants. Shortly after the lockdown was lifted several elephants were standing by the street with their caretakers with as little as 20 baht per basket of bananas to provide for their meal. He turned to his expertise in the digital world and a virtual means of raising money seemed like the perfect solution. The first fund raising attempt they were able to generate, through the XRP community along, $XRP4.030 worth of food for the elephants sustaining 6 elephants for the next two months in 3 elephant sanctuaries. The legitimate elephant sanctuaries are as reliant on the tourist dollar as those who exploit the animals to give rides, and an alternate means of finance was desperately needed. Fast forward as Thailand reopened many of the Asian elephants were put back to work. This was when he realised there was a bigger issue behind these captive elephants and the harsh truth that was part of it.
The Founder of Unchained Elephants, Daniel Villota, said “Elephants are no doubt a must-experience activity when visiting Thailand, and I don’t wonder why. They truly are majestic, but there are better ways to do so. I always believed that a business should find a way to give weight and voice to social causes while making it easier and more interesting for everyone to support the cause by providing utilities that would grant them additional benefits. This is why I founded Unchained Elephants, with a mission to raise awareness amongst travellers to stop the demand of elephant trekking & elephant shows, rescue elephants from these harsh working conditions so we can at least stop the suffering, and support local business owners to run a more ethical business and thus completing the circle to truly make a difference in the welfare and lifespan of Asian elephants. Our NFT project & initiative will allow holders to enjoy traveling while being a part of this change. A project that would resonate with those who want more from their NFT project, care about these creatures, and like to travel.”
How are funds raised to rescue these elephants?
For every NFT purchase, 40% of the sales will go directly towards buying the freedom of these captive elephants and providing educational programs for travellers and elephant caretakers alike to truly make a difference. In addition, the project will donate a percentage of its secondary sales to feed and maintain the rescued elephants. The initial NFT holders also receive a certificate of adoption from the rescued elephants and can access the sanctuaries where the elephants will be unchained, as well as access to the upcoming travel club platform, which offers savings and travel privileges on Phuket excursions, tours, and hotels.
How you can support their cause
If you are interested in supporting their cause with Asian elephants in Thailand or want to get in on their NFT art, you can easily do so by subscribing to their newsletter: www.unchainedelephants.com
Whether you are a hotelier, a traveller or a crypto head, and want to know more on how you can join and support the cause in different ways please join their discord group: https://discord.gg/eVvB45ptEs
Some of the ways you can support their cause are:
- Buy their NFTs to donate 40% of your purchase to rescuing the elephants.
- If you are in the Hospitality Industry, become a partner to capture a new audience of responsible travellers and join the Web 3.0 community.
- Be a part of this community by purchasing an NFT from Unchained Elephants.
- Spread the word by resharing their educational contents to stop the demand.
To find out more about the Unchained Elephants NFT project, visit:
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