What is this? I have read through all of them. An elephant can carry up to 25%2 of its body weight without causing any discomfort or pressure to its body or spine. Who really needs to ride an elephant to feel "they arrived" in Thailand?! I think that main reason that many people are still involved in elephant rides is because, as you said, they simply do not know. I have done the research, and I have even subjected myself to certain elephant trekking camps so I could get another point of view, and my findings were extremely negative. The owner Pat explained to us that his goal is to get people to bond with the elephants to they will want to protect and raise awareness for these endangered creatures. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. False. While some placesmight market their experience ashumane andclaim they dont use bullhooks, the fact that the elephants are being used for trekking means they are being harmed. Finally, the elephant camp that I was in had elephants that were bought from elephant logging camps. The elephants are treated very well & they only open their gates to a handful of tourists a day, in fact there are more elephants than there are people. It was likely born domestic. To do this, they need space to splash, roll around, submerge, and cover themselves in mud. Ask how the camp acquires its elephants and what its policy is on breeding. Honestly, 52 elephants born over 12 years is nothing impressive. Most of these animals are not born in captivity but captured from the wild. Or - as I am trying to do currently (visiting Thaliand later this month) - by doing the research and visiting ethically sound elephant camps.
In response to Nick, below (Quote: "But to generalize that this is necessarily so sounds like overstatement. Look at her here: https://www.facebook.com/FreeMali. we got told that the wooden howdah weighs about 300kgs as well as that they have to carry the human weight. Isn't that true of bathing and feeding an elephant? He first responded via email asking me if I worked for Elephant Nature Park or Boon Loot's Elephant Sanctuary. We went well outside of the city, walked across rice patties, through farms, and over bridges until we reached a remote corner where the elephants are lovingly raised and trained.
We spent a day bonding with the elephants, feeding them, eating with them, and learning the commands before we were permitted to ride them, bathe them, and feed them again.
The people who ran this farm loved the elephants in their care and we left with a connection to the people and to the magnificent beasts. The more people that support elephant riding, the more sweet baby elephants will have to go through the breaking process in order for you to ride them, watch them paint a picture or pop balloons with darts. They argue that riding camels is fine as long as they are properly cared for and tours are run in a responsible and ethical manner. We all know the image of a tourist on the back of an elephant in Thailand. Importantly, it also outlines which activities are, and are not, acceptable for tourism and offers positive training and performance protocols for making those approved activities behaviorally enriching for the elephants. An elephant may be a big animal, but it's back is not meant to support 300+ pounds.
LOOK. Why Elephant Riding Should Be Removed from Your Travels - Elephants are beautiful, majestic, gentle giants. Any elephant who is docile while humans climb on and off its back and takes them for a ride is an elephant whose spirit has been broken. Not all elephant adventures are equal.
While in Thailand this past summer, my wife and I went to a carnival-like elephant park where the operators gave us a guided ride around the grounds and wrapped up with a show that featured elephants trained to do tricks.
I was not a fan. The male elephant would be carrying the average human equivalent of 1.125kgs on his back.
With regard to the average weight of a female elephant being 2700kgs, the human weight of 75kgs would equal to 2.8% of the female elephants weight . The best treatment for them is to be free from living a life dedicated to delighting tourists. )
The bottom line for this is not about poor people trying to make a living it is HOW they are making the living at the misery and expense of these sentient, sensitive animals. ride an elephant I agree with Liam here and disagree with the overstated perspective of the author. Thanks for writing this post. There is the risk of falling off an elephant just the other day a German woman was killed when she fell from an elephant. But if tourists knew what elephants endured for their vacation photos, they would hit deleteon both the pictures and the industry. This clunky contraption rubs on their backs, causing blisters that can become infected. I will be using this article to explain to them that it is NOT a good idea and that they should pool the anticipated entrance fee together and donate it to one of the 'true' elephant sanctuaries that does not promote riding (or any other un-natural elephant behaviour) of any kind. When theyre babies, elephants are taken from their mothers and families in the wild. If you have any problems, please contact us. Chitwan National Park uses elephants for two parts of its tourism industry: elephant safaris to see a one-horned rhino, and elephant baths. Elephants are a symbol of strength and power, wisdom, intelligence, family and loyalty. There is no evidence to suggest that whipping does not hurt. :( Please Help Her! I was told that the elephants had been saved from torture but now I feel awful for being so naive. I think Patara Elephant Farm near Chiang Mai, Thailand (http://www.pataraelephantfarm.com/) offers a very balanced approach to understanding elephant health and care.
http://dankoehl.blogspot.com/2011/12/elephants-suffers-in-sanctuaries-effect.html
There are sanctuaries that are making thousands of dollars a day, yet the number of elephants under their "care" is minimal. Please consider adding this to your section of elephant health since your article is still popping up high on search engines :). And unfortunately Diana has taken their comments out of context, or not responded to them directly.
This issue comes down to two simple matters.
The Asian Elephant is an endangered species. These baby elephantscan'tstopto rest or nurse as they must continue trekking. Any camp worth its salt will be happy to answer questions. FAQ For Elephant Riding - Wildlife SOS I`m gonna show him this article so he believes me. Plus, the dog is domesticated. They use their trunks to pick up objects, trumpet warnings, greet other elephants, or suck up water for drinking or bathing, among other uses. @ Mahul Abdul Jabbar: I value animals above people because with 7 billion people ruining the planet and killing off all the wildlife, no BODY will be able to survive on it any more.
, I understand the desire to want to ride an elephant. It may well be misleading even. Many babies doe in the crush particularly from tetanus from the metal hooks they are beaten with. Contact us for full details. pretty sure most people in the world would still ride the elephant. Riding Why would you want to ride one anyway? I'm a big animal lover as many of us are, and I'm definitely going to do a lot more research on this, but for the author to say that "every elephant in captivity has been abused at some point" seems a little dramatic. Haters gon' hate, Gangers gon' gang. Group members have also devoted years to developing a minimum standard of welfare for captive elephants working in Southeast Asias tourism industry. Elephant Nature Park is not a good place for an elephant. Pam - Elephants are highly social creatures who, in the wild live with their mothers, aunties and sisters all their lives. 3. Check it out online if you still doubt.
By the way, asking questions is a good idea, but just remember that they are tourist-savvy
and will tell you exactly what you want to hear. Maybe this dream is a sign of overcoming some fears from your past. They have the largest brain of any land animal, and three times as many neurons as humans. Riding The weight on the back is actually a big problem. Nor do I think the logging camps are a good life. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Other trained elephants go into the illegal logging trade, which is perhaps the worst fate for an Many travelers have reported seeingelephants swaying, pacing and bobbing their heads at trekking camps signs of serious psychological stress. 5. Is there a weight limit to ride on the Elephants This is a volunteer-based organization, you can volunteer for a week at a time, or just visit for the day, hang out w/elephants, bath them, feed them, get a delicious lunch. There are further complications from having a chair (howdah) attached to their backs. You honestly value the lives of animals above your fellow man and it is a joke. This is cruelty.. The elephant trade is incredibly lucrative. However, this is false. 6. In a survey of 13,000 people, one of the primary reasons travelers gave for wanting to patronize elephant rides and shows was love of animals. But anyone who shares any concern for the dwindling elephant population or captive elephant abuse should work to end these tourist attractionsnot fund them. If you have any problems, please contact us. Maybe you should get a gun and shoot them all now.
Or do you think they if they are not making money they will suddenly find endless funds to pay for their elephants food and care in a magic box? The author wants tourists to ignore all the camps that are doing the right thing. Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement. Riding elephant on the neck true is very different than using the steel saddle. There is a right way and a wrong way to do anything, and what you're saying here is that everyone does things the wrong way. Though female lions hunt gazelles and zebras, male lions are in charge of hunting large prey that must be taken down with brute force. This must be one of the worst and most misinformed articles I have ever read on travel. I always workout using the Yoga steps that make feel better from low back pain.low back pain stretches, On a recent visit to Mondulkiri in eastern Cambodia it was pleasing to see that there are now three elephant sanctuaries which provide an alternative to elephant riding tours. Dreaming about an elephant in water: Elephants in water often represent good time, peace, harmony, and abundance. Let's hope responsible tourism will soon take over.
, Whilst I agree with some of this post, I think part of it is a little extreme. Their mission is to protect & care for mistreated elephants rescued from the tourism and logging industries. http://isaanstyle.blogspot.com/2009/04/elephant-cruelty-in-thailand-phajaan.html
Here is video of the usual style of 'training' an elephant.
Readers may be shocked, but essential for everyone to make up their own minds.
As unthinking tourists years ago, we rode an elephant in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
It is naive to believe that you are suddenly enlightened and are doing the right thing because you go to Thailand and don't ride an elephant. I asked Elefantastic about how they raise their young elephants, about their breaking in process, and whether the weight of passengers was considered, and asked for general thoughts. Elephants in India An uncomfortable Truth I listed links to them, as well as referenced interviews with elephant experts.
Amanda:
Thank you for sharing your story and your knowledge. There are lets drug up a grown wildcat so that people can take there pictures with them. tourists help care for elephants instead of riding them, Click here to add your name to a petition that says elephants deserve better, Click here to learn more about the elephant riding industry, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. All the elephants that have humans on their back experience stress and pain in their vertebrae. For the Asian Elephant, the primary cause of this is habitat loss. Are elephants vertebrates or invertebrates? Wise-Answer Tigers are another big one in Thailand and that disgusts me more. If staying uninformed helps you sleep better at night, good for you. Horses must be saddled correctly with ride gear to make sure they do not suffer injuries, rashes or, sores. According to Roberts, boycotting elephant tourism is not a viable solution because it undermines camps that behave responsibly. There's a bigger picture to elephant tourism & riding than is being presented here. Just do research ahead of time and be aware of how the animals are cared for. The process is called Phajaan, or the crush.
It is kind of hilarious how you totally go off on the previous commenter after he made such a simple honest comment. Elephants. The breaking period is torture and it's done to animals that are endangered. I fight for the horses having to pull their carriages in NYC and have had arguments with people in other countries when I see the poor horses dragging their carriages and the last thing I want to do is do the same with an elephant. I also respect that the author personally responded to individual comments here, as many writers would never bother to do that. Find out all the essential information before you rent two wheels. I think of people knew the anatomy of the elephant was what caused them so much pain/damage then people might understand more. Is it OK to ride elephants in Thailand? Living in Thailand I can say that everything in this article is true. The rides help keep our elephants from becoming overweight (as many do in captivity). Cond Nast Traveler does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Its the stuff great travel stories are made of. However, a lion coalition of 23 males would have a clear advantage over a lone tiger. Elephants spines cannot support the weight of people and doing so all day can lead to permanent spinal injuries. Once fully trained, elephants used for riding will need to carry at least one person on its back, either on a blanket or saddle, but often with no padding at all. This is so that they will act with compliancy. Furthermore, riding them does not promise it will keep them on the planet. It only condemns them to a poor existence. Why heat milk and use it to temper eggs instead of mixing cold milk and eggs and slowly cooking the whole thing? Riding Luckily, some places that previously provided these painful rides are starting to transform their practices. When no tourists are present, the elephants are tied up to wait. TheElephant Nature ParkorBoon Lotts Elephant Sanctuaryin Northern Thailand are two reputable places where humanelephant interactionwon't compromise the elephants safety. -- but I respectfully disagree with your statement regarding abusive training methods. In your first and second resource it is mentioned "Instead of smooth, round spinal disks, elephants have sharp bony protrusions that extend upwards from their spine," Carol Buckley, president of Elephant Aid International, said. Like other posters, I personally visited Patara Elephant Farm last year and saw none of the awful practices detailed in this article. How on earth do you force an erection on an elephant and get them to mate, that is just ignorant to say that.
Both public national parks & private game reserves do quite well in Africa with safaris. Don't Ride the Elephants Nice blog and thanks for broaching a good topic.
In a perfect world it would be great for all elephants to be wild. In Thailand, it is through the Phajaan. I agree some parts of rodeo ( calf roping ) the same calf over and over bothers me and their should be guidelines. Elephant Nature Park is a perfect example of elephants living elephant lives while being run as a profitable business.
If you love elephants, then love them for who they are, not what they can do for you. Most elephants WOULD be alive without tourism money. There might be a perceived air of romanceabout riding an elephant. Please - support sanctuaries, work to ban ivory trade, trophy hunting there are many ways to show love for elephants. It's not so much about the heaviness as it is the pure anatomy of the animal. The process is called Phajaan, or the crush. They do not let mahouts strap the platforms on them, do not let tourists get on their backs, do not go for guided walks, because they enjoy it. Hopefully will get a Chance to go to the elephant nature park instead as i would much rather spend my money where people actually care about animals!. So, while the zoo may not have hurt this animal, investigations have proven that, at some point, this animal (wherever it was before your zoo), has been broken in order to entertain.
Also while your zoo may be an exception to the rule in regards to abuse can you address the footage that has been released showing animal caretakers in zoos stretching elephants legs with chains and electric prods to train them?
This article was never intended to discuss the pros and cons of riding an elephant. Ask about the camps working conditions: Does it give the elephants ample forest time? Who shot them, when and where? It can also be a sign of financial stability. But Should You? You shouldn't ride them because it's dangerous. I am sure you dont beat your horse with a bull hook, or stab it with sticks of bamboo stuck with nails. False. It is the money of tourists which allows these animals to survive.
People have a choice as to where they are spending their money. My wife is Thai. An adult elephant needs to eat 200-600 pounds of food and drinks up to 50 gallons of water per day. The zoo I work at offers elephant rides and it is not as terrible as this article makes it out to be. This Elephant Researcher Says No - Stephanie Schuttler, Ph.D. Should You Ride an Elephant? There are approximately 2000 wild elephants in Thailand. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Some physically and mentally abused human children seem to be functioning in the world, too. Just go to Elephant Nature Park and enjoy watching these wonderful creatures, learn their histories, appreciate it all. Discussion is a good thing. to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. There are plenty of well-documented stories online that deal with the prods, particularly as it relates to training them outside of Thailand (like for circuses and rides in America, for example). At present, 3,783 Asian elephants are estimated to live in captivity in Thailand aloneand the majority of them work in the tourism sector. In some estimates, 1 out of every 10 elephants carries the disease. On the Elephant Trails or why you should never ever ride an elephant. Riding elephants is cruel Being an animal lover I think it is important for all of us not to hurt them in any intention. In fact maybe the majority are. You might see many articles that say riding elephants does not hurt the elephants. Through years of research, scientists have found that elephants are capable of complex thought and deep feeling. But many of the so-called elephant camps let visitors bathe with them and ride them. comment #50 is also shortsighted.
People will never think that their ride can cause health problems in elephants in a long run. Understand? There are further complications from havinga chair (howdah) attached to their backs. So I was googling where we could go for an elephant ride and found this article.
I don't believe your claim that an elephant could not support our weight without spinal damage, but the poor training conditions is believable and I won't be a patron unless I hear otherwise in the future. With more loss of habitat, extinction looms early on the horizon for these amazing creatures. To do this, they need space to splash, roll around, submerge, and cover themselves in mud. Is it Cruel to Ride Elephants? - Cruelty Free Soul A baby would cost around $100,000, an adult $80,000. To boil the issue down to a single questionTo ride or not to ride?misses the bigger picture; its like stamping out an ember when the whole house is on fire. to comment 44, that's great that you know of good camps and promote them. It takes 3 people to lift this so I agree the weight on the elephants back is tremendous. It is so strong that it can push down trees and lift a whopping 700,000 pounds. 2. This type of industry is, infact, saving the lives of a lot of elephants (domesticated previously from logging camps), who cannot be returned to their original habitat. Unreported incidences involving local elephant keepers are likely to make this figure much higher.. It implies that all elephant trainers use inhumane methods, which simply is not true, and it's actually defamatory to imply that it is true. You might want to spend a little time at Maesi Elephant Camp outside of Chiang Mai or other camps in Thailand. 7. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. An easy way to see the damage that can be done to these animals If that won't sway you not much will. You might say that this is idealistic - without such development we wouldn't live in the world we live in today. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sure it looks like they should be able to, because they are the same size as a horse. PETA, on the other hand, argue that camels suffer just as much as elephants and shouldnt be ridden at all. Five Reasons Why You Should Never Ride Elephants If You Love They were wild animals that were captured from their land and put through the Phajaan, and then brought to camps and circuses. It depends on how they were trained. Here, tourists help care for elephants instead of riding them. the best thing you can do as a concerned outsider is contribute financially to the International Elephant Foundation (International Elephant Foundation.org), an organization that devotes nearly 100% of the proceeds it receives to conservation efforts for all elephants both domestically (US) and abroad. This breaking period is CRUELTY. With 150+ adventure activities covered and 24/7 emergency assistance. It is very clever at hiding the real facts. All of you who claim to know about this torture, please supply DATES, PLACES and NAMES of elephants and their torturers, they can be made accountable. I digress. Should I disclose my academic dishonesty on grad applications? It also prevents sunburn. Many become neurotic, unhealthy, depressed, and aggressive as a result of the inhumane conditions in which theyre kept. Of course these animals are abused in private or else it would be very difficult to make a penny off of the tourists. However a friend -who is an animal rights supporter- visited Patra's and loved it. They drink their mothers milk for at least two years. It isnt safe for humans to make direct contact with elephantsgetting too close can be deadly. However, I worked at an elephant sanctuary in srilanka for 9 months called the millennium elephant foundation. I took one look at that poor, lonely chained-up soul and said, "No thank-you!" Some of the elephants still have complications from these injuries.
I disagree with your comment regarding elephants being treated pretty decently in comparison to other animals. Is elephant Back weak? But, according to Intrepid Travels Liz Manning, theres still a lot more to be done. Most of these animals are not born in captivity but captured from the wild. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. An Elephant raising his trunk was considered a good omen. You Should Not Ride Elephants The video was shot a few years ago, but I happen to know that this practice continues. I'm not sure if this was addressed in the comment section and I know that this article is older, but it could be important to add in the edit that the reason elephant spines become damaged is because of their shape. Although the travel site made exceptions for educational, scientific, and conservation-related experiences, the sea change was clear: Elephant riding, once a bucket-list activity for many North American and European travelers visiting Southeast Asia, was rapidly falling out of favor. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Well. Is the camp providing enough food, water, shade, and exercise? This is the problem with the anti riding brigade they only selectively see what supports their attitude. Elephant A message about protecting wildlife, with a button to 'Learn more' now appears if you try to search hashtags such as, #koalaselfie, #elephantriding, #slothselfie,and more. Elephant spines are comprised of vertebrae that point upwards toward their backs. Hello ! Sorry for my ignorance
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