Elephant Welfare in Thailand
three elephants
“Breaking” an elephant
The first thing that you need to know is that ANY elephant in this part of the world that is being used for tourist rides, performances, or logging has been through a process called “phajaan” or “breaking”, and is exactly what it sounds like. It is usually inflicted on very young elephants who have been taken from their mothers. Elephants are beat from a very young age to break their spirit to make them docile and obedient.
Another thing to be aware of is that the seat and harness that many of the elephants are forced to wear is not only extremely painful for the elephant to wear, but also damages their spine over time. Also, the animals are kept chained when they are not being used, which leads to some very strange behaviors which are not seen in wild, free elephants. This is a syndrome called “zoochosis” and it’s just plain sad.
Please don’t ride the elephants
So when you are in Chiang Mai or Ayutthaya or Kanchanaburi (or anywhere, really), please don’t ride the elephants. Doing so is supporting and putting money into the pockets of people who inflict great cruelty on these beautiful animals for profit.
How you can help
Elephant Nature Park and BEES (Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary), both near Chiang Mai, are safe to visit. Also Elephant’s World in Kanchanaburi Province runs an excellent elephant rescue center, and the location is quite beautiful as well.
These organizations offer both one-day programs and overnight programs. They may be a bit expensive, but the price goes towards a very good cause: rescuing and rehabilitating previously abused elephants.
Read more! Another blogger’s thoughts on elephant welfare.
LB convert 