Believe me, if I could have got him in my trunk, I would have … awful pun, I know, I’m sorry.
Elephant rides are a huge point of tourism in Thailand, but ethically, not something i would ever take part in. According to sources, Thailand has around 3800 working elephants. I am ashamed to admit that of course I’m guilty of paying to enter to enter zoo’s in Thailand a few years back, as a clueless tourist, but thankfully due to new legislations elephants are seeing a change in the way they’re treated.
Sadly though, there’re a few sanctuaries that still have a terrible reputation for how they treat their elephants. But on the flip side there’re so many beautiful ethical sites where you can see these gorgeous animals interact and play, so if you ever get the chance, please do check out the amazing work they do for them. Places in Phuket, Ko Lanta and Chiang Mai are leading the way in the ethical experiences, from hand’s off meetings to vast amounts of space given to the elephants to roam together as a herd.
You may have read a lot of horror stories online regarding the treatment of working elephants, so the question is: how do you know the experience is ethical?
Ethical sanctuaries do not TRADE, EXPLOIT, PUNISH OR PROFIT from their elephants.
I really regret not going to see these beautiful creatures roaming free in a sanctuary, but with tourism opening up again and opportunities to travel, who knows, maybe one day eh?
Have you ever visited an animal sanctuary? How was your experience?
Flight of the Bumble D & Me 