Katherine Connor officially opened "Boon Lott's" (BLES) in 2007. She received an IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) for her dedication and commitment to animal welfare. BLES is an elephant sanctuary, but it?s also home to a variety of other rescued animals, including dogs, cats, tortoises, cows, wild boars and monkeys. Furthermore, BLES offers support and advice to local elephant owners who may lack sufficient funds to care for their animals. The rescued and retired elephants can interact freely within 600 acres of forested land (part of a tree planting program, for self-sustainability and to enrich the elephants? lives). There are no rides, shows, or painting projects but only basic skills such as natural foraging, swimming, scratching and dust baths. As a visitor you can walk with the elephants, gather their food and scrub them down. Guest number are intentionally kept low. You can schedule a day trip to the sanctuary and witness the elephants in their free habitat or you can sign on as a volunteer. All received money goes straight into the sanctuary to keep it running.