One of the most touristy attractions in South-East Asia is elephant riding. Unfortunately, only a few know what this trade is about, and we are all trying to stop elephant riding by raising awareness.
A lot of people keep arguing that riding a horse or riding an elephant is the same thing, while others (probably the majority) don’t even know what is wrong in this.
Riding on their back is the very last problem.
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What’s behind a docile elephant?
When a poacher finds an elephant in the wild, he or she is immediately sold to a trade man. This man will keep the animal in captivity until he or she will die.
Elephants are really intelligent creatures and they build a strong family connection, especially between the mother and the baby. Sadly, when it comes to trade, elephant trainers (usually called “mahouts”) don’t really care about this bond and they immediately divide them.
Mahouts keep elephants in a very small cage and start to use violence against them. Most of them suffer starvation for days or months, others are stabbed, burned and beaten until they are docile enough and tourists can ride them.
This whole process is called “crushing” and its only purpose is to separate an elephant’s spirit and body through cruelty.
Even if this sounds like the worst part of those animal’s life, this is just the beginning.
Elephants will no longer have any freedom because their limbs are always tied to prevent movement. They won’t have any social interactions and – of course – they are beaten every time they try to escape!
Many people don’t know about this process and they just ride on their back. Are they experimenting with something very special and authentic?
What I have personally experienced
I can understand people from all around the world are interested in those majestic animals, I am too!
Being part of the majority of people that had no idea what was this elephant trade about. I knew some agencies were providing a “no riding experience” but most of them had big posters advertising an “amazing riding experience”.
The truth is: you only need to see them in real life to understand this whole concept.
While I was visiting the Tad Sae Natural Park in Laos for its amazing waterfalls, the guy at the entrance asked me if I wanted to ride an elephant, pointing at them. I said no, however, I wanted to watch them closer, so I approached them and I saw those giants animals… tied to a chain.
Their eyes were big and sad. You could see they were tired of being there.
They couldn’t move much, just enough to not touch each other.
Probably they were hungry too. Not far from them, there was a small table with a lot of fruits and vegetables. You could feed them for 20THB (less than 1€) but I’m wondering if they were getting enough food anyway.
As they noticed I had no food with me they all left except one. She decided to stay a bit more with me to enjoy my caresses.
I was happy I was able to pet an elephant, however that experience was very sad and left me quiet for a while.
I did some research and I found out Laos wasn’t the only country approving this kind of exploitation. Vietnam, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Thailand, and India are just some of them.
How can we help?
A lot of tourists argue that their money will help to buy food for the elephants, support the local tourism, the Mahouts and their families.
The minimum price for supporting an elephant is 1,000THB/day (26€).
For the same price, you can support a cruelty-free business.
How?
Fortunately, there are plenty of options you can choose.
You can spend the day in a “Sanctuary” or “rescue center”. There, experts rehabilitate the elephants and release them into the wild in protected spaces.
People can feed, bathe or play with the elephants. There is an opportunity to do some volunteer works. This way you make sure they are not suffering and you will have an intimate experience with them.
If you want to put further help, there are a lot of petitions you can sign.
Personally, I believe in Care2Petitions.
They have petitions worldwide and you can even send your own one.
If you want to sign a ban against elephant abuse, you can do it here. They will only ask you your email address!
Elephants are not aggressive animals, humans are. Let’s protect those awesome creatures by giving them the freedom they deserve!
Love,
Sonia
