Steve Koyle - half a life spent with elephants

Over the past month, the image of a foreign man working diligently at the elephant cage at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens has aroused the curiosity of many tourists coming here.

Over the past 24 years, Mr. Steve Koyle has traveled to eight Asian countries to “find welfare” for elephants for free.

He is Steve Koyle (49 years old, American), founder of the non-profit organization Elephant Care Unchained.

For 24 years, Steve Koyle has been a companion to elephants in eight countries. Tuoi Tre spoke with him about this dangerous yet interesting journey.

Elephants, like all animals, deserve a chance to live a better life. We are trying to give them a chance to live as healthy and comfortable as possible.

Mr. Steve Koyle

"Many people think I'm crazy"

* Sir, what brought you to Vietnam to help the elephants at Saigon Zoo?

- I have worked to support elephant welfare in eight Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand... The first time I came to Vietnam, I cooperated with Animals Asia to carry out an elephant-related project at a nature reserve in Nha Trang City ( Khanh Hoa Province).

I then approached the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Vietnam Zoo Association myself, submitting a proposal for the program I wanted to implement as the founder of Elephant Care Unchained. The program aimed at improving the welfare of elephants there. Luckily, they were receptive!

* Why do you call this cooperation "lucky"?

- Because taking care of elephants is the easy part, convincing people to change the way they take care of them is the hard part. Many people thought I was crazy until they saw the positive changes in the elephants after the program. But at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, everyone is very open and cooperative. Thanks to that, my work is quite favorable.

* And how did you implement the elephant care program at the Zoo?

- Here we try to improve our approach to elephant care, helping the elephants cooperate naturally when it comes to health checks. We also keep them active within their habitats.

The method I use is called “target training”. It is the most modern and humane method because it is safe, effective and gives the elephants the right to choose. We train the elephants to move their body parts, especially their legs and hooves, through the barrier using a guiding stick for regular inspection.

Here, I will use a long stick to touch the parts of the elephant's body that we want to test. For example, when the stick touches the leg, the elephant understands and chooses to lift the leg, they will be rewarded with food.

This learning and adaptation process will be fast or slow depending on each individual elephant. For example, elephant Bo at the zoo only took a week to learn to put all four legs on the fence. However, elephant Ny took several weeks because of the psychological trauma. Even in the first days when applying this method, elephant Ny was very aggressive and afraid of the stick.

* What is the biggest benefit of applying the "training by target" method, sir?

- Training elephants to voluntarily cooperate in care brings benefits to both the physical and mental health of elephants. Among them, foot diseases are the leading cause of death in elephants, especially those living in restricted areas.

Regular check-ups will help detect diseases early and treat them promptly, so that the elephants can live healthy lives. In addition, this will also help change the approach between the mahout and the elephant in a more positive direction, so that the elephants can live as naturally as possible.

Elephant Care Unchained was founded in 2016 with the goal of eliminating abuse and improving the welfare of elephants around the world , especially in Asia.

Put yourself in the elephant's world

* Many people are curious why you care so much about elephants?

- I often say that I don't just work with elephants, I work for elephants. For 24 years, I have supported elephants in eight countries. Half of my life has been spent with these animals.

I worked at a zoo in Arizona for 14 years. We had three elephants and their stories were tragic. If any elephant in captivity had a story to tell, it would be tragic.

During my trip to India as a volunteer with Wildlife SOS, I witnessed the terrible treatment of elephants. It inspired me to do something for these animals. I then left the zoo and founded Elephant Care Unchained.

I felt a responsibility to help them. Gradually it developed into a skill and a passion.

* What are your expectations for improving elephant welfare in zoos?

- I hope they will be less dependent on humans and have a comfortable enough environment where they can freely dig, dust bathe, use their trunks to reach for food… That is their natural instinct.

I hope that what is happening at the Zoo will spread throughout Vietnam so that people will realize the importance of compassion and have a better understanding of the real needs of elephants. My ultimate goal is to help set a new standard of elephant care for the whole country.

* What advice would you give to help people better understand how to improve the welfare of elephants in particular and animals in general?

- Always put yourself in the world of elephants and animals. Ask yourself if you were an elephant here, would you be happy, would you want to be here. If not, what can we do to make that animal happy? That's what I always try to do.

Elephants are often abused by their caretakers.

* What do you think are the barriers to elephant care today?

- Elephant care facilities often have difficulty caring for elephants due to limited access to modern techniques and specialized knowledge. Many elephants are often abused by their caretakers because they are not trained to control elephant behavior in a humane manner.

Meanwhile, many facilities still have difficulty in paying for a professional consulting model, which can cost up to thousands of dollars. Realizing that gap, I founded Elephant Care Unchained to provide professional services and methods with the same quality as high-end facilities but completely free.

To me, this is not a charity but a strategic intervention to create change in elephant welfare standards across Asia.

Mr. Mai Khac Trung Truc (Director of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden Animal Enterprise):

Elephants gradually become more comfortable, reducing risks to employees

Working with Mr. Steve Koyle and Elephant Care Unchained has helped the Zoo staff to be trained in a different way of handling and approaching elephants than before.

Over the past month, the elephants at the zoo have shown positive changes as they are more comfortable, less anxious and angry. This reduces the risk to staff and veterinarians when caring for and examining them... The difficult elephants like Ny and Bo have gradually become more comfortable and cooperative, helping the care work go smoothly.

Mr. Do Thanh Hai (59 years old, 41 years of experience taking care of elephants at the Zoo):

Thanks to Steve Koyle, elephants and I understand each other better.

Mr. Steve Koyle is a person who loves animals and is very thoughtful and meticulous in his work. He is also very sensitive in observing and detecting small changes in elephants. In the past, when I saw elephants showing signs of not cooperating, I often did not dare to approach them.

However, after seeing how Steve remained calm and patient with the animal while still ensuring its safety, I followed suit. Now I feel like the elephant and I understand each other better.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/steve-koyle-nua-cuoc-doi-lam-ban-cung-voi-20250918102939038.htm