Good to see you guys had such a great time and all, but honestly by riding elephants you're actually supporting one of the most inhumane and cruel practices in the wildlife tourism industry.

A wild elephant would never let you ride on their back, which is why these intelligent, sentient, and emotional creatures have to be "tamed" when they are babies. Maybe you weren't aware of this, or were told otherwise by your guide, but most of the elephants used for tourism are taken from the wild and trafficked into Thailand. Usually their family is killed right in front of their eyes, which obviously is a very traumatic experience for them as they have the ability to mourn other dead peers and have an incredible memory. Most orphaned baby elephants (due to poaching for example as well) end up dying from depression (they stop eating and starve themselves to death) even if they get taken to a sanctuary, but these elephants that are trafficked for tourism suffer an even worse fate.

When the "taming process" called phajaan begins, also known as "the crush", the baby elephants are put in a small confined space, usually a cage or a hole in the ground and are tortured until their spirit is broken - usually by being beaten by clubs, pricked with hooks and deprived of sleep and food for many days until finally, after days, or sometimes even weeks until they are completely submissive to their trainers. Through the use of negative reinforcement, the elephants can then be "trained" to do anything, take tourists on rides, perform at shows by painting or doing other acts. This really isn't the training or domestication of an animal, but the enslavement of one of the smartest animals in the animal kingdom.

Luckily people are starting to act out against this, and there are more and more sanctuaries popping up catering to elephants that have been rescued from this lucrative tourist trade. Unfortunately, even once they have been rescued, most of them are psychologically damaged for life, and have no understanding of what it means to play, relax or even socialise with their peers, and it takes a lot of time and effort to try and rehabilitate them.

I don't mean to chastise you for your actions, what's done is done and maybe you simply didn't know. But now that you know a bit more about this, I hope that with your influence you are able to spread awareness about this horrible practice rather than promoting it and encouraging people to try it out themselves. Also next time you visit Asia and want to experience interacting with elephants, I highly recommend that you seek out a reputable sanctuary where you can rest assure that they are being treated well and with respect, and admire these majestic creatures from afar.

If you're interested in reading more about this, there are plenty of articles and videos out there which touch on this topic. I hope they're not too graphic for you, but unfortunately this is the hidden reality.