In southern Thailand, it is common for elephants to work in riding camps during the tourist high season, and be used for strenuous logging work in low season. As an alternative to riding and logging, Ray began educating visitors about mahout culture and elephant behavior. Positive feedback inspired him to wonder if his venue could function solely with these programs, but the tourist demand for riding was still the only consistently profitable option at the time. In 2017, Ray met World Animal Protection and began the transition towards an elephant-friendly business model.