Traveling to South-East Asia, and especially Thailand means being busy all day. You need to visit as many temples as you can, you want to enjoy street food, you might be interested in Buddhism and – of course – you want to get close to elephants.
How can you do so in the most ethical way?
You will be walking and exploring the city, and you will surely see many flyer advertising elephants experiences, such as elephant riding, shows, painting, baths…
Would an elephant in real life do such things?
It’s very sad to think many people don’t know what’s behind all of those tourists attractions. After being divided from the mother, the calf has to go through a “crushing” process which will break the elephant’s spirit. Elephants trainers (also known as “Mahouts“) beat the baby day and night until the need of its mother is replaced by the fear of being abused.
So, when you see a docile elephant, now you know what it has been through.
I have outlined the whole “crushing” process here.
What are your options then?
Fortunately, you’ll also see some agencies advertising for “Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries”. If you never heard of this (just like me, when I first visited Thailand), those are the safe places for rescue elephants. They are still in captivity, but they are not working for humans anymore.
On the one hand, this is very good. This means people are finally opening their eyes and they can clearly see how wrong the abuse of those majestic creatures is. It’s excellent for the business side as well, since more and more agencies are promoting a “non-riding experience”. And, most importantly, the feeling you have when you know you are doing right, that you are not causing further harm, this is priceless.
Everything seems perfect then! You will simply visit a Sanctuary and you’ll see elephants ethically.
…But it’s not that easy.
There is no strict policy on what the word “Sanctuary” exactly means. Actually, there is no policy at all.
Many parks advertise themselves as a safe place for elephants but they are not. It’s up to you to choose the right ethical elephant sanctuary.
How can you decide whether an elephant Sanctuary is ethical?
Keep in mind that the less interaction you have with an elephant, the better is for the animal.
Beware of those parks who call themselves a Sanctuary but offer shows or something not natural to an elephant.
I have listed here below some conditions which I believe are necessary for every elephant park. I think a Sanctuary is worth of its name if it has all the conditions.
1. Access to Water (a lot)
This includes, of course, drinking water but also access to bigger water areas where elephants can bath, play in the mud and refresh themselves. They love having fun in the water, on their own or with each other. To do this, they need a lot of space. That’s the main reason why a real ethical elephant sanctuary won’t allow you to bath them but simply to watch them taking a bath.
2. Food (a lot!)
It might seem obvious but this is crucial. An elephant can eat between 90-250 kg of food every day. They need variety in their diets and also some sweet treats.
Ideally, a great sanctuary will have access to a forested area where elephants can roam freely and eat whenever they want. If this is not possible, the right amount of bamboo leaves, grass, and tree bark should be provided.
Tourists can then feed them with some sweet treats such as mangos, watermelon, sugar cane, and of course bananas. 🙂
3. Huge space
Huge animals need huge space where they can be free to simply be.
When visiting a park, take a look if elephants have access to a big green area and shaded areas where they can chill when it’s
4. Interactions with other elephants
Elephants are really cleaver creatures and they create a special bond between them. Just like us, they need to interact with each other in order to be happy and healthy.
That’s why we must avoid “ethical” elephant sanctuaries that keep them chained or far away from each other. Unless there’s some behavioral issues between them, they should be able to wander freely and to to make their own groups.
5. Interactions with Mahouts
Mahouts are elephants’ trainers. They are often associated with the bad stereotype of the man riding them (and some of them are..) but they are the people responsible for their well being. They have years of experience and they build a close relationship with them.
It’s mandatory for an ethical elephant sanctuary to have some well trained Mahouts, as they will explain you everything you need to know about elephant’s behavior and their specific personalities.
Do your own research!
The best thing to do is simply to do your own research. Take a look at their website, read the “About us” page and try to understand whether they have the well being of the elephants at heart or if it’s another money-making business.
Want to know even more? Take a look at this amazing trailer (you’ll probably want to watch the whole movie afterward!)
I come across this movie almost by mistake but it definitely helped me writing this post. It’s almost impossible to not feel curious about other elephant sanctuaries, that’s why I decided to upload online what I found.
You can also visit their website if you want to know more about and discover more about an elephant’s life. Visit now love&bananas.com
After watching the movie, I did my own researches and I come out with the 10 most ethical elephant sanctuaries in Thailand.
They are listed in this PDF, get your free
You can download it here!
When you download the PDF, you’ll find a list of the sanctuaries considered ethical, their website and a brief description.
I considered all the criteria listed here above and checked the websites personally one by one. I read their history and made sure they were not providing any rides, trekking or bathing experiences.
So you’ll be sure to visit a place where an elephant is free to be an elephant!
Which one is your favorite?
Love (…and bananas)
Sonia
