Chiang Mai, Thailand

Everyone wants to ride elephants in Thailand. Including my girlfriend (Agata) and I. That was until I spent the day at the elephant Hug sanctuary and learned the disturbing truth behind this popular activity.

Imagine for a second how incredible it would be to sit on a massive 4-ton beast; making you realise how small you really are, whiles lumbering through the deep rivers and mosquito filled jungle! The experience which many dreams about when planning a visit to Thailand.

And frankly I couldn’t wait to get a selfie whist on top of a massive elephant!

However, coming to our hostel and asking about it, the hostel manager persuaded Agata and I through the shear shock of the dark side to elephant tourism which several tourists just don’t seem to be wear off.

Herse some back story to give you a better understanding.

Elephant Nature Park

Elephant Nature Park (ENP) is a natural sanctuary somewhere tucked away in the beautiful jungles of around Thailand; to be frank, we both had no clue where the bus (a jeep) took us. Their mission is to protect & care for mistreated elephants rescued from the tourism and logging industries.
Increasing awareness and promoting sustainable elephant-friendly tourism is another goal. The park currently cares for 36 elephants on 250 acres of wilderness.

When we first arrived at ENP, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. How close could we get to the elephants? Could we touch them? Were they dangerous?

All these questions were answer whilst a small group of us (approx. 12 people) were briefed.

• Elephant food were provided to feed the elephants; Sugar cane bamboo sticks and a small satchel as seen on the image below (elephant stealing it from my bag)
• Our agenda, Feeding, walking through the jungle, Lunch then Swim with the elephants
• Safety stuff

After this brief, I was ecstatic! The only other time I’d seen an elephant outside was in Chester zoo in England!

Hanging out with the Giants

You get to participate in many fun elephant activities at ENP. As we walked up to a location where the elephants were going to meet us, we were told NOT to move and if the elephants run to you STAND YOUR GROUND, so with that in mind I was confident!
Until I was this 4-ton beast ploughing up the hill towards me! My body was in pure shock and amazement whilst I said to myself “Everything going to be alright”. But surly he came to a hold about a meter in front of me and grabbed my bag with his long trunk for the juicy sugar cane bomboo sticks.
I was able to feed out of the palm of my hand, watch them play in the mud, go on walks with them, and even get into the river to help give them a bath!

Watching these gentle creatures interact with each other is a magical experience.

They chat with friends and family members by chirping and trumpeting back and forth. You have a greater appreciation for how intelligent and social they really are.

You won’t find any elephant rides at Elephant Nature Park though. No circus tricks or elephant paintings either. This is because the elephants here have been rescued from such places.

Now it is to note that they can be** VERY DANGEROUSE!** As a word of warning, someone in our group got too excited and the mother of all elephants whipped her trunk and she flew and landed hard on her left shoulder – at this moment all the elephant people did there thing, calmed the elephant down and checked everyone was ok. This was one hell of a reality check!

Fight of the Asian Elephant

Asian elephants are an endangered species. Experts believe there are now less than 2000 wild elephants living in Thailand. The population is declining at a rapid rate due to loss of habitat.

Illegal capture and trade for use in the tourism industry is also a big problem.

This industry thrives because foreign visitors all want to ride elephants or watch them do tricks, paying good money for the privilege.

But the fact is those wild elephants need to be tamed before they can be ridden. Except for the taming process in Southeast Asia is not the same as with a wild horse. It’s much more brutal and is accomplished when the elephants are very young.

Wild elephants won’t let humans ride on top of them. So, in order to tame a wild elephant, it is tortured as a baby to completely break its spirit. The process is called Phajaan, or “the crush”.
It involves ripping baby elephants away from their mothers and confining them in a very small space, like a cage or hole in the ground where they’re unable to move.

The baby elephants are then beaten into submission with clubs, pierced with sharp bull-hooks, and simultaneously starved and deprived of sleep for many days.

You can watch a disturbing video of the process if you’re curious. Photographer Brent Lewin won an award for capturing this haunting image of the torture.

Elephant mistreatment doesn’t stop after they’ve been tamed. Many elephant camps continue to employ bull-hooks to control the animals. While they may not be stabbing them constantly like they did in training, it’s the fear of being stabbed that’s used to motivate them to work.

Elephants never forget.

If an elephant camp in Southeast Asia is claiming to be “responsible” with its animals, you should still be sceptical. Remember the process used to train them is often the same, even if they’re treated with kindness now. And usually, there is no way to be sure.

Did you know that riding elephants can actually cause serious long-term harm too? Their spines are not made to support the weight of humans. I know it’s hard to believe given their size, but Zebras are the same way.

Save the Elephant Foundation

Choice is up to you

Brutal elephant training has been a traditional practice in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years. The problem these days is that most captive elephants in Thailand are used to entertain tourists rather than for traditional purposes like logging or military use.

It’s our demand for elephant rides and circus acts that lead to more baby elephants getting captured from their mothers, tortured, and sold off to entertain us.

Whether you ride elephants in Thailand or not is your choice. I try my best not to judge others because I’m acutely aware that we all have different moral codes & standards.

Most people who participate in elephant tourism in Thailand are completely unaware of how they are treated. I know many friends who have ridden elephants.

It’s easy to understand why people do it. I almost rode them myself.

I just wanted to share what I’ve learned after my own elephant experience in Thailand, to help you make a more informed decision moving forward.

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Company: Elephant Hug Sanctuary
Useful Notes: Day trips last from 7am to 6pm and include delicious all-you-can-eat vegetarian (or meat) meals. It’s a wonderful & inspiring place with a dedicated staff who absolutely love their elephants. A fabulous alternative to the elephant trekking camps. Lastly, bring the strongest mosquito spray you have and apply every 30 minutes!

Thank you for reading and if you’re willing to donate to help me out that would be amazing too!

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