Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand is a community-based animal welfare organisation on the grounds of Wat Khao Tao temple, south of Hua Hin — and one of the four conservation partners that Dragon Study Tours closed groups aged 13 to 17 visit on the Elephant Conservation Experience programme. Small, personal, and genuinely community-rooted, the Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand morning session offers a different kind of conservation experience from the elephant sanctuary and the wildlife rescue centre — and one that rounds out the programme in a way that participants consistently find affecting. The programme runs all year round.
What Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand Involves
The Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand session takes participants to a small community rescue centre for dogs and cats — animals that have been found injured, abandoned, or in distress in and around the Khao Tao area. Founded in 2013, Rescue P.A.W.S. operates sterilisation, vaccination, and basic veterinary care programmes for the stray animal population of the Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
Participants exercise, socialise, and handle rescued animals under staff guidance, assist with feeding and basic care routines, and learn about responsible pet ownership, rescue operations, and animal welfare in the Thai community context.
The Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand experience is deliberately different from the scale of Hutsadin and Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand. It is intimate. The animals are small. The work is hands-on in a direct and immediate way. And the connection between participants and the animals they spend the morning with is often the deepest per hour of any session in the programme.
Why Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand Belongs in a Wildlife Conservation Programme
Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand belongs in the Dragon Study Tours programme because animal welfare exists at every scale — from the elephants of Hutsadin to the street dogs of Khao Tao. The World Wildlife Fund notes that effective conservation requires community-level engagement as much as it requires large-scale intervention. The Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand morning demonstrates exactly that principle in action.
For participants considering careers in veterinary science, animal behaviour, or conservation, the Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand morning offers a direct and unfiltered experience of community-level animal welfare that the larger partner organisations cannot provide.
Safety at Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand
The Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand session is managed within the full Dragon Study Tours safety framework. Transport is by private air-conditioned coach. Dragon Study Tours staff are present throughout. The session has been assessed for suitability and safety for participants aged 13 to 17.
The Palm Residence provides 24/7 supervision, secure access, and a dedicated welfare team throughout the programme. Safeguarding procedures are aligned to British Council accreditation standards.
Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand in the Wider Conservation Programme
Rescue P.A.W.S. Thailand is one of four conservation sessions in the Dragon Study Tours programme — alongside seven mornings at the Hutsadin Elephant Foundation, a full day at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, and a morning at the Sirinart Rajini Mangrove Centre. Together, the four partners create a programme of extraordinary breadth — from the largest to the smallest, from elephant to cat, from coastal forest to mountain karst.
The programme runs all year round for closed groups. Visit our 50 things to do in Hua Hin guide, request a quote, make a booking, or read our FAQ.
