{"id":21409,"date":"2017-08-10T16:33:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T06:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=21409&preview=true&preview_id=21409"},"modified":"2025-03-11T01:33:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T14:33:07","slug":"ethical-elephant-tourism-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/ethical-elephant-tourism-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How you can engage in ethical elephant tourism: World Animal Protection lays it out"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2014, Intrepid ended elephant riding on all our trips.<\/a> The decision came after a study, commissioned in partnership with World Animal Protection<\/a>, revealed widespread cruelty among businesses offering elephant attractions in the name of tourism.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since then we\u2019ve been fighting hard to raise awareness around the<\/a> issue, and a lot has changed. But new research by World Animal Protection has shown there\u2019s still a long way to go.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll leave it to them to explain what they found \u2013 and how you, as a traveller, can help.<\/p>\n

Elephants in the tourism industry<\/h3>\n

Elephants are the biggest animals to currently walk the earth, and one of the only species intelligent enough to recognise themselves in a mirror. To many, they may seem exotic, majestic \u2013 an encounter with one is a bucket-list dream. Elephant rides and shows remain popular among travellers in many Southeast Asian countries. But behind the scenes of the elephant tourism industry is a grim reality.<\/p>\n

Elephants are not domesticated animals like cats and dogs; even elephants born in captivity retain their wild instincts. They must be \u2018broken\u2019 to accept human contact, often beaten and starved into submission. So before they\u2019ve carried even one person on their back, an elephant pays a high price for tourists\u2019 entertainment.<\/p>\n

New research into elephant welfare<\/h3>\n

Around three in four elephants in captivity across Asia live in unacceptable conditions, according to Taken for a Ride<\/a>, a new report by World Animal Protection<\/a> on the welfare of elephants used for entertainment.<\/p>\n

Elephants in many venues are often kept tied up on short chains, isolated from other elephants and without access to the proper food or veterinary care they need. These elephants are much more likely to display chronic repetitive behaviours that are a visible sign of stress. Not surprisingly, elephants in the best welfare venues \u2013 which allow free roaming, foraging and socialising, and little or no tourist interaction \u2013 rarely exhibited these behaviours.<\/p>\n

\"Elephants<\/a>

Elephants should be free to roam free. Image c\/o World Animal Protection.<\/p><\/div>\n

In a polling for World Animal Protection, 44% of Australian tourists believed riding an elephant was acceptable. And 38% believed the same of wildlife shows. These numbers were down since a previous survey \u2013 but still much too high. There is plenty of misinformation out there on this topic \u2013 including venues falsely claiming to be elephant \u2018sanctuaries\u2019 as a marketing ploy.<\/p>\n

So as a traveller, how do you tell the difference?<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s World Animal Protection\u2019s guide to making sure your encounter isn\u2019t hurting elephants:<\/p>\n

1. Arm yourself with<\/span> knowledge<\/span><\/h5>\n

Many of the travellers polled (43%) took part in activities involving wild animals because they love animals. The problem isn\u2019t a lack of care \u2013 it\u2019s a lack of awareness, so educating yourself about the realities is key.<\/p>\n

Before you travel, do plenty of research on the places you want to visit and the activities you want to do. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions. At a true \u2018elephant-friendly\u2019 venue:<\/p>\n