THAILAND’S CAPTIVE ELEPHANTS
Some 3,000 to 4,500 elephants live in captivity in Thailand. They mainly work in tourism and are classified under Thailand’s 1939 Draught Animal Act as working livestock, similar to cattle, buffalo, and oxen. This means they are not afforded protection as an endangered or vulnerable species like wild elephants. The conditions in which captive elephants live in Thailand are often poor, causing serious welfare issues.
THE TROUBLE WITH TRADITIONAL ELEPHANT TOURISM
Around 250 tourist camps across Thailand offer visitors a chance to interact with elephants. These highly popular sites support activities such as elephant riding and circuses. Welfare standards in these camps may differ — some may provide decent conditions for elephants, while others may be sub-par. At these camps, elephants work during the day and are chained in pens or shelters overnight — usually by one front leg to a cement block sunk into the ground on a chain that is approximately three to six meters in length. Chaining can cause joint damage, skin abrasions, and poor foot health while also limiting opportunities for roaming, forage and socialisation — three activities essential to good elephant welfare.
ETHICAL ELEPHANT TOURISM
The shift towards more ethical elephant tourism in Thailand has been led by the work of Sangduen “Lek” Chailert, who founded Elephant Nature Park — a 250-acre sanctuary in the Mae Chaem region — in the year 2000. Today, there are several elephant sanctuaries around Thailand that provide visitors with unique, ethical opportunities to observe elephants. These include Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary, Tree Tops Elephant Reserve, Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary and Samui Elephant Sanctuary. Through the work of their founders, these sanctuaries provide captive elephants with opportunities to roam, forage and socialise, making a profound difference to their lives and their welfare.
MAHOUTS — THAILAND’S TRADITIONAL ELEPHANT KEEPERS
Mahouts are predominantly men from Indigneous tribes such as the Karen, Lao-Isan and Guay, with strong ancestral traditions involving elephants that span hundreds of years. Today, mahouts who work in tourist camps may engage in practices that are harmful to elephants. However, it is important to understand the economic, environmental, social and cultural reasons why they might not treat their elephants in a gentle and sensitive manner.
WHY DO WE NEED MAHOUTS?
Mahouts are needed at all sites where captive elephants live in Thailand — including sanctuaries, camps and community-based projects. Due to the limited land available, elephants need to be managed so that they interact safely with one another and do not stray from home, potentially causing conflict with neighbouring farmers and villagers. In particular, the strong cultural and spiritual relationships between Indigenous mahouts and elephants must be championed and supported, both by allowing the men to continue to work with elephants and helping them to engage in sensitive methods of training and care that uphold elephant welfare through education and training.
ELEPHANT TOURISM AND COVID-19
While life is always difficult for Thailand’s captive elephants, COVID-19 has only made things worse. In March 2020, Thailand closed its border to tourists. Without tourism, elephant camps, sanctuaries and other projects have had to close, leaving mahouts and elephants out of work. Most elephants now live in their mahouts’ home villages, with local families now faced with the enormous task of feeding elephants with little income and limited land for grazing and foraging. There is a real risk of elephants starving in this scenario.