Elephant trekking in Thailand: Why you should NOT do it

Elephant trekking is one of the most popular tourist activities in this country and I have to admit I too participated in it several times in my time here. This was before I knew the horrible truths behind this inhumane industry.

seems harmless enough right?

When people first encounter an elephant in Thailand it is very likely the first time they have ever been up close to one of these creatures ever. Perhaps you saw them in a zoo or if you are old enough perhaps you saw them in the circus at some point. Asian elephants are incredibly docile creatures (compared to African elephants) that are very sociable and inquisitive about humans. This doesn't mean they want to be pals with you and they do weigh as much at a Volkswagen and could therefore tear you to pieces accidentally.

The problem with the trekking establishments is that elephants don't instinctively want to have people on their backs and they must be "broken" in order to have this happen. This incorporates horrible atrocities such as taking them away from their mothers at a very young age and forcing them into shackles some confined space and beating them until their spirit is broken and will respond to commands out of fear. Even once released from confinement (a process that can take a very very long time,) they will still be "kept in line" with a bullhook being pressed into the side of their head. Now, the stigma about elephants having very thick skin is definitely true in a literal sense, but how much happiness can a creature have if the only reason they do anything is because they are afraid of being confined or facing horrible pain.

I'm intentionally not including many pics, they are too heartbreaking

I'm not trying to get everyone to join PETA but i think a line must be drawn at causing continual life-long suffering to an animal in order to sell photographs to tourists.

look closely, there is a sharp weapon in the trainer's hand

If you really want to go see elephants there are places that you can do so without subjecting this awesome creature (of which, it is estimated there are only 2000 or so remaining) at one of the country's elephant sanctuaries. One of the most renowned is Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

You do have to pay quite a lot to attend these places, but it is an amazing experience and you also get to feel good about yourself because you are helping to provide a far kinder future for these majestic creatures.

No one rides elephants at these parks or trains them to do tricks or make paintings. Most of the animals are rescue / rehabilitation elephants. It is important that these sorts of places receive attention and become / stay popular because of a very stark reality:

Elephants are very expensive to keep. They eat a lot and require a lot of space. The trekking establishments are willing to release them because of an already declining interest in riding elephants in Thailand. However, they need to recoup the money they have invested in the animal up to that point. Also the trainers or "mahouts" don't really know how to do anything else. We can't simply feel sorry for the animals, we need to feel sympathy for people too. For the most part the owners are not wealthy and can't simply release the elephants and sink their families into financial ruin. The elephant sanctuaries therefore must purchase the elephants and then relocate them to their parks.

I have owned multiple tour agencies in the various businesses that I ran in Thailand over the years. Upon learning about the horrible treatment we removed all the brochures and actually refused to sell the tickets to anyone. We replaced the brochures with ones from Projects Abroad - a wonderful organization that promotes making a positive difference in many places. https://www.projects-abroad.org/

projects abroad locations throughout the world

Unfortunately there is no elephant sanctuary in Krabi as of yet. A retired Danish guy tried, but it was just absurdly expensive and his kick starters didn't raise anywhere near enough money. Let's hope he (or someone else) can do this successfully at a later time.

As always I welcome / appreciate your comments and thanks for reading.