Why You Should Boycott Elephant Tourism
- Thomas Nelson
- August 19, 2019
- Animals
- 0 Comments
Elephants are a truly incredible animal. They’re the largest land animal in the world and, when you look in their eyes, you can see a great deal of depth and personality. Many people want the opportunity to get up close to these animals – to take selfies, feed them, and even ride them – but there are significant consequences to elephant tourism. These are the reasons you should boycott elephant tourist traps.
Elephant tourism fuels illegal trade
Elephants don’t grow on trees, but they can be found in the wild, and that is where many elephants seen in tourist attractions originate. Illegal capture and trade is commonplace.
Elephants don’t want you to ride them
In the wild, if you attempted to ride an elephant, it wouldn’t end particularly well for you. Wild elephants have to be ‘tamed’ in order to be ridden. This process of taming begins when the elephants are just babies. What they do to these elephants amounts to torture. Baby elephants are often beaten, pierced with hooks, and starved in order to ‘break’ them.
Related post: Elephant Attraction Boycotts Urged After Horrifying Photos Emerge
Elephant tourism results in injured and dead elephants
World Animal Protection, an international non-profit animal welfare organization, reports that “Between 2010 and 2016 in Thailand alone, 17 fatalities and 21 serious injuries to people by captive elephants were reported in the media. Unreported incidences involving local elephant keepers are likely to make this figure much higher.”
How to see elephants the right way
Because of the nature of the elephant trade and the fact that many species of elephant are threatened, there are numerous elephant sanctuaries around the world. These sanctuaries specialize in taking proper care of elephants and allowing humans to view and interact with elephants in a way that cause them no harm. If you’re planning a vacation to a location that frequently promotes elephant tourism, try to find a legitimate elephant sanctuary in the region instead. Or just leave the elephants alone entirely.
