Elephant back riding, also called trekking or elephant back safari, is a popular tourist activity. Tourists sit in a ‘chair’ attached to an elephant’s back and ride through Asia’s forests. As traditional types of work disappear, such as logging and transport, elephant owners turn to tourist riding as a way to make an income.
The quality of riding equipment, elephant care, and management techniques varies greatly from country to country. In Vietnam’s Central Highland area, a padding of soft tree bark is used as a cushion between the form fitting chair and the elephant’s back. The elephants are generally well cared for and are returned to the forest before dark to forage for the night. Sri Lanka’s safari back elephants are not so lucky. Many spend long hours tied next to a post or tree waiting for the next customer. Crude metal cages laid over a mattress are secured tightly with ropes around the elephant’s abdomen and chest. Foot infections and chain wounds are regularly neglected. In Thailand, elephants may travel over 300kms to find work in a trekking camp. In general, most trekking camps in Thailand do not provide proper care for their working elephants. Access to food, shade, and water is often limited. Did you know an elephant’s spine is not designed to support heavy loads? Oftentimes overworked, the heavily burdened elephants are made to walk repeated one hour treks throughout the day. Constant rubbing of their harnesses causes skin soars and dangerous infections. When new mothers are working, their babies instinctively struggle to follow them throughout their long workdays. Under this stress, a mother may cease to lactate. Needless to say, the mortality rate is high for those baby elephants.
What do you do?
Avoid elephant trekking and opt for a bike, raft, or hiking tour. If a trek is part of your package, use your time and money wisely for the good of the elephant. Ask the chair to be removed from its back. Tell the operator that you would prefer to see your elephant in a natural state. Perhaps you can enjoy watching her graze or bathe. If the operator refuses, ask for your money back. If you see any of the following, please tell them that you are unhappy with the conditions and you will not come back or recommend the camp. Absolutely no more than 150kgs, or two adults, should be used in trekking for no more than 4 hours per day. Puncture wounds or bloody spots on an elephant’s head indicates an overly aggressive use of the hook. Are any of the elephants limping or avoiding putting weight on part of a foot? Do the enclosures look clean and provide shade from the sun? Is there food and water available? Are many of the elephants showing signs of stress by swaying or rocking? Do any of the elephants look ill or too thin? If you can clearly see ribs or protruding hips and shoulder blades, the elephant is underweight. A visible spinal column is not necessarily an indicator of malnourishment. A mother with a nursing baby should never be working. Please remember, your personal safety cannot be guaranteed when trekking. How do you know if your elephant is sick, aggressive, a new mother, or pregnant? Tourist injuries and deaths during trekking expeditions happen every few months, but are rarely reported. Click here to read about a recent deadly incident, Nov 2011. Click to enlarge
A new campaign by Mathaga. Mathaga raises awareness about the mistreatment and poor conditions of captive elephants in Sri Lanka.
