Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

Why I won’t ride elephants in Thailand

BY ONEIKA RAYMOND

Close encounters of the elephant kind in Chiang Mai, and why I’ve decided romping with the elephants is way better than riding them.

His kiss was wet, warm, but sloppy.  He had aimed for my mouth, but there was no way I was letting him do that, so in an awkward dance, I had given him my forearm instead. There was a loud slurping noise as he pulled away, the suction action causing my arm to pucker.  I squealed from the sensation, then from the sight of the sticky saliva spread thickly on my arm.

“Eww!”

I shuddered, drew my arm back as though it had been touched by an open flame… then laughed.

It’s totally not what you think, by the way.

No, I wasn’t auditioning for some bad after school movie, and no, the offender wasn’t a pimply-faced teen trying to get lucky.

Instead, I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and my suitor was an elephant named Pituk.

20160501_082538

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Thailand is one of my favourite countries, and living in Hong Kong for nearly 5 years afforded me the opportunity to travel there fairly often.  On previous visits I had explored the big city (Bangkok) and the beach (Koh Samet); I had eaten my weight in pad thai and overdosed on Thai-style massage (sidebar: you haven’t lived until you’ve have one).  But this time, during my first visit to Chiang Mai, I wanted to do something… different. 

That something different involved making a number of new, pachydermal friends.

The locale was the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary,  an ethical and sustainable conservation center dedicated to their rescue and rehabilitation.  About an hour’s drive outside of Chiang Mai, the sanctuary is home to around 20 rescued elephants who were formerly mistreated.

20160501_090031

The mistreatment of elephants is a problem that exists on a large scale in Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.  Life is grim for the gentle giants: despite a ban on the international trade of ivory, they are still poached for their tusks, and are frequently overworked and physically abused by their owners.

Moreover, unsuspecting tourists also contribute to the issue by riding the large creatures– many don’t realize that elephants’ spines are not made to support the weight of humans.

And since elephants found in the wild won’t even let humans sit on top of them (it simply isn’t in their nature), trainers torture them as babies in a bid to “break their spirit”– and increase profits.

Elephants and Ethical Eco-tourism 

I love animals, but am learning that animal abuse is often rampant in what is known as the “captive animal industry”, which is oriented almost exclusively to human entertainment.  There is big money to be made but it is often at the expense of the health and safety of the creatures involved; worse still is that many tourists aren’t well-versed enough to know that the “fun” activites they’re engaging  are highly detrimental to animals and in fact perpetuate the cycle of abuse. 

Thankfully, places like the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary give animal-lovers like me the opportunity to to interact with them in a more responsible and ethical fashion!

20160501_090355(0)

My travel companions and I paid 1,700 baht each (about $50 USD) for the half-day visit: this included pick up and drop off from our hotel, a tasty lunch (mmmm Thai food!), and a long session where we got to feed the elephants, observe them, play with them, and get into the water and help bathe them(!).  Throughout the visit our guides gave us more education about this highly sensitive and intelligent species.

To be honest, this extended time getting to know and interact with then elephants was waaaay cooler than if we had ridden them for 10 minutes at a circus somewhere. Ethical travel doesn’t have to be any less fulfilling than its sinister counterpart.

20160501_084800

Committing ourselves to travelling responsibly

One of the tenets of responsible travel is to try to make only a positive impact on the environment, society and economy of the places we visit. This means that we should endeavour to not harm or perturb the natural and physical environments we find ourselves in.

Thus, in my eyes, ethical and responsible travel are active choices, but not always easy ones when we have limited resources or competing interests (I mean, getting an awesome photo atop an elephant for the ‘Gram is high on many a traveller’s bucket list, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain a few years back for a blogging campaign).

WhatsApp Image 2016-08-30 at 8.38.48 AM
Photo credit: Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Still, they are choices that we should at least consider when we travel.  One of the easier ways to do this is to partner with companies who have a proven commitment to sustainable tourism; Exodus Travels is one such company. A longstanding advocate of ethical travel since its founding in 1974, they offer a wide range of tour packages that take the guesswork not only out of itinerary planning, but out of figuring out whether that “must-do” activity is really on the up and up.  For those who don’t have the luxury of making weekend jaunts to Thailand like I did (Hong Kong is only a cheap, 2.5 hour flight away), Exodus offers a 14 day tour of country that’ll take you through its most salient sights. I’ve not gone on a tour with them yet, but have recently partnered with them and am hoping to do one soon!

The takeaway

Two things: 1) Responsible travel is where it’s at and 2) You need to get yourself to Thailand, stat (check the poetry! “at” and “stat”… well, never mind).  But seriously, you should make travel to Thailand a priority. Because if the food, beaches, and culture don’t lure you, the elephants surely will. Just look at their faces!

Do you consciously try to travel responsibly? Is Thailand on your travel radar?

Make sure you PIN this post:

why i wont ride elephants

SHARING IS CARING

239 Comments

  • This place looks amazing. When I was in Thailand I went to Elephant Nature Park which I LOVED, it was very similar I think. No riding, just enjoying being around those amazing beasts 🙂

  • This article is everything! Thailand has been on my radar and i am now even more excited to visit. I appreciate your insight on ethical travel. Honestly, when i planned my trip in my head and looked through pictures, i really wanted to ride an elephant to as you put it “stunt on the gram.” After reading this, i definitely won’t but instead i am inspired to play, bathe and learn more about them at the sanctuary. Thank you and Happy Birthday!!!

  • Cool post! Thailand is on my list and I almost went there last year. I’ll take a trip there some time soon. I also want to have an elephant encounter and eat as much Thai food as possible!

  • I do try to be conscious when I travel but in order to be successful you have to do research. I’m also an avid diver and one of the principles enforced is to not touch or remove anything we see in the ocean. One of the areas where I struggle though is with my use of plastic. I often travel to countries where the water quality is very poor and I’m therefore forced to buy bottled water. The consumption of it is horrible for the environment but I haven’t yet found a stable alternative option. Also I’ve been to Thailand and agree it’s a great country and I hope to explore more of it throughout my life. I too visited an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai and did the same activities as you. It felt incredible to be standing near an elephant and to bathe them. I will never forget that experience.

  • I went to this SAME PLACE! I love them! So happy to see someone else promoting enjoyment of elephants in a non-riding way. Bathe don’t ride!! Great post ?

  • I went to that SAME PLACE! They were wonderful! Thank you for promoting the enjoyment of elephants in a non-riding way. Bathe, don’t ride!

  • Thanks for this post Oneika,

    I love Thailand, and have been a few times now mainly to Bangkok and Chiang Mai, as I’m not really into beaches, unless there’s a volcano nearby lol!

    I try to travel responsibly as much as I can, and the first time that I went to Thailand way back in 1999, I observed elephants walking down the streets in Bangkok, and elephants drawing, painting, running, and doing tricks! I’m utterly against animal cruelty and abuse.

    However, in Thailand elephants are not categorised as “wild” animals but as part and parcel of Thai culture, as much as horses and cows are part of ours. I thought hard and long about whether to ride elephants or not, and chose to support a conservation park called the Baanchang Elephant Park in Chiang Mai.

    We were taught how to communicate with elephants, how to stroke, and how to talk to elephants. We were also taught about the lifestyle and behaviour of Thai elephants, the basic commands for elephants, and how to ride bareback!

    We paid $130 per adult and $109 for a child. This payment goes towards paying for the upkeep and protection of the elephants.

  • I feel terrible now that I didn’t realize that riding elephants was so bad for them. We had gone and researched ethical rehab preserves where they teach you about elephants and you spend time with them, but they also had us ride for a short distance. We’ll find better ways to support the elephants that doesn’t include riding them if we get back to Thailand.

  • I really enjoyed reading about your experience! I love elephants. Do you have any advice for visiting the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary?

  • Please stop being one sided by singling Thailand…all zoos in America (“captive animal industry”) practices animal cruelty
    Why are you not mentioning all angles, shouldn’t that horse riding and Polo playing be also animal cruelty. Let us not judge
    when it’s only convinient for us.

  • Thank you for some other informative site. The place else may just I am getting that type of information written in such a perfect method?
    I’ve a project that I am simply now operating on,
    and I’ve been on the glance out for such info.

  • With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism
    or copyright violation? My blog has a lot of unique content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but
    it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my agreement.

    Do you know any methods to help protect against content from being stolen? I’d
    definitely appreciate it.

  • Hello, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so
    i came to return the want?.I am trying to to find issues to improve my site!I guess its adequate to use a few of
    your ideas!!

  • I’m amazed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both educative and
    entertaining, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head.
    The issue is something which too few men and women are speaking intelligently about.
    I’m very happy I came across this in my hunt for something regarding
    this.

  • Excellent blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring
    writers? I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.

    Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress
    or go for a paid option? There are so many options out
    there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any tips?
    Appreciate it!

  • Hi, I log on to your new stuff on a regular
    basis. Your writing style is awesome, keep it up!

  • Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I found
    a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
    There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched
    her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely
    off topic but I had to tell someone!

  • Hello there! This post could not be written any better!
    Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate!
    He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him.
    Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

  • Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog loading?
    I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog.
    Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

  • Howdy this is kind of of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors
    or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a
    blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted
    to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would
    be enormously appreciated!

  • You’re so awesome! I don’t suppose I’ve read through something like that before.

    So good to find someone with some original thoughts on this subject matter.
    Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This website is something
    that is required on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!

  • I used to be recommended this web site by
    my cousin. I am not sure whether or not this post is written through him as nobody else know such certain about my trouble.
    You’re amazing! Thank you!

  • When some one searches for his necessary thing, so he/she wishes to be
    available that in detail, therefore that thing is maintained over
    here.

  • You need to be a part of a contest for one of
    the greatest sites on the net. I am going to highly recommend this website!

  • constantly i used to read smaller articles that also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which I am reading
    here.

  • I like the helpful info you provide in your articles.

    I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently.
    I am quite certain I will learn lots of new stuff
    right here! Good luck for the next!

  • My relatives every time say that I am killing my time here at web, however
    I know I am getting know-how daily by reading thes pleasant articles or reviews.

  • Pretty component to content. I simply stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to say
    that I get in fact loved account your blog posts.
    Anyway I’ll be subscribing in your augment and even I success you access persistently fast.

  • I am actually thankful to the holder of this website who has shared this
    great piece of writing at here.

  • Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board and I in finding It
    really helpful & it helped me out much. I am hoping to offer something back and help others such as you helped me.

  • Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one!

    It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the
    same layout and design. Excellent choice of colors!

  • Awesome issues here. I am very satisfied to see your post.
    Thanks so much and I am having a look forward to touch you.
    Will you please drop me a mail?

  • Hi friends, how is the whole thing, and what you want to
    say about this paragraph, in my view its in fact awesome designed
    for me.

  • If you would like to take a great deal from
    this article then you have to apply such strategies to your won web site.

  • These are really enormous ideas in concerning blogging.
    You have touched some fastidious things here. Any way keep up wrinting.

  • I do agree with all the ideas you’ve presented on your post.

    They’re very convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless,
    the posts are too short for starters. May just you please lengthen them a little from subsequent time?
    Thanks for the post.

  • Can I simply just say what a relief to discover somebody that actually knows what they are talking about on the web.
    You certainly understand how to bring an issue to light and
    make it important. More people really need to check this
    out and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you aren’t more
    popular given that you certainly have the gift.

  • After exploring a few of the articles on your website, I really
    appreciate your technique of blogging. I book-marked
    it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back
    soon. Please visit my web site as well and tell me what you think.

  • I’ve been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet
    I never found any interesting article like yours.
    It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all web
    owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.

  • I’d like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this site.
    I am hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well.
    In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me
    to get my own site now 😉

  • Hey there, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues.
    When I look at your blog in Opera, it looks fine but when opening
    in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to
    give you a quick heads up! Other then that, fantastic blog!

  • I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else experiencing problems with your site.
    It appears like some of the written text within your posts are
    running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback
    and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This
    could be a issue with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
    Appreciate it

  • hello!,I love your writing so much! proportion we communicate more about your article on AOL?
    I need an expert in this space to unravel my problem. May be that’s you!
    Looking forward to look you.

  • Hello, i think that i saw you visited my blog thus
    i came to “return the favor”.I’m attempting to find
    things to improve my web site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your
    ideas!!

  • What’s up, just wanted to say, I liked this blog post.
    It was practical. Keep on posting!

  • เว็บไซต์ vip2541 แทงบอลออนไลน์ที่ดี มีคุณภาพ

  • Each of the Free get more info Netflix Account which have been provided Listed below are legitimate accounts henceFree Account – New Free Accounts And Password Listfree account

  • Your style is so unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this blog.

  • That is a really good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate infoÖ Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post!

  • Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers?My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losingmany months of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any solutionsto prevent hackers?

  • hani sana demiştim ya ben hayatım boyunca en son kaç yaşımda ağladımondan sonra aglamicam dedim işte ben bu gün ağladım ☹️Free Gmail Accounts 2021 Google Mail Accountid And Passwordfree gmail account

  • I will immediately take hold of your rss feed as I can’t to find your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please permit me understand in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.

  • What’s up, this weekend is good designed for me, because this occasion i am reading this fantastic informative post here at my residence.

  • This blog was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something that helped me. Kudos!

  • Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It’s the little changes that produce the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!

  • Hello, you used to write wonderful, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your super writings. Past few posts are just a bit out of track! come on!

  • Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to assert that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.

  • It is actually a nice and useful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

  • Right here is the right webpage for anybody who really wants to find out about this topic. You understand so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a subject which has been discussed for years. Wonderful stuff, just great.

  • whoah this blog is wonderful i like studying your posts.Stay up the great work! You know, a lot of personsare searching around for this info, you could help them greatly.

  • Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thank you, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I am unable to join it. Is there anybody having similar RSS issues? Anyone that knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanks!

  • Hackpokerv.com – Anda mau merasakan kemenangan dengan menggunakan Apk Hack Slot Pragmatic ini.Tentu nya anda dapat dengan mudah mengakses nya di sini.Karena memang kami adalah sebuah team hacker judi online yang siap memenangkan anda semua.

  • Asking questions are actually pleasant thing if you arenot understanding something totally, however this pieceof writing provides good understanding even.

  • Good article! We are linking to this great content on our website. Keep up the good writing.

  • Howdy! This article couldn’t be written any better! Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept preaching about this. I’ll forward this article to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

  • Good web site you have got here.. It’s hard to find good quality writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!

  • Can I simply just say what a comfort to uncover somebody that really understands what they are discussing over the internet. You certainly know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people have to read this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular given that you most certainly have the gift.

  • Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after looking at a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!

  • Generally I do not learn article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to take a look at and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thank you, very nice post.

  • I really like and appreciate your article post.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.

  • I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this postwas good. I do not know who you are but definitely youare going to a famous blogger if you are not already Cheers!

  • Hello! I could have sworn I’ve visited this web site before but after going through a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m certainly happy I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!

  • It’s difficult to find educated people in this particular subject, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

  • Awesome blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.

  • Thank you, I’ve just been searching for information approximately this topic for a longtime and yours is the best I’ve found out so far.But, what concerning the bottom line? Are you positive about the supply?

  • Having read this I believed it was unpresumptuous informative I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this content together. Mortal Kombat Full Movie Online Free 123Movies

  • You are so awesome! I do not think I’ve truly read something like this before. So good to find another person with some unique thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. many thanks for starting this up. This website is one thing that is required on the internet, someone with a bit of originality.

  • You made some good points there. I looked on the internet for more info about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.

  • This is a great tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post!

  • Escort arayışlarınıza artık son verin. escortbaranara.com ile dilediğiniz faişeyi yatağınızda ağırlayabilirsiniz.

  • Hello, just wanted to tell you, I enjoyed thispost. It was funny. Keep on posting!Feel free to visit my blog Element Vape Discount Code

  • what types of diets are best for our bodies’s up, just wanted to tell you, I enjoyed this blog post.It was helpful. Keep on posting!

  • When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added”checkbox and now each time a comment is added I getseveral emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service?Cheers!

  • Having read this I believed it was rather informative. I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!

  • toptan iç giyim tercih etmenizin sebebi kaliteyi ucuza satın alabilmektir. Ürünler yine orjinaldir ve size sorun yaşatmaz. Yine de bilinen tekstil markalarını tercih etmelisiniz.

  • Heүa i’m for the primary tіme here. I came across this board ɑnd Ι to find It truly useful & it һelped me out
    much. I’m hoping to offer something again and aid othеrs likе you
    aided me.

  • Having read this I thought it was really informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it.

  • Hi there! Do you know if they make any pluginsto help with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for sometargeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you knowof any please share. Appreciate it!

  • I blog frequently and I genuinely thank you for your information. This article has really peaked my interest. I am going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new details about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.

  • I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you book marked to look at new things you postÖ

  • When I originally commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on whenever a comment is added I get 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you are able to remove me from that service? Kudos.

  • Hello! I could have sworn I’ve visited your blog before but after browsing through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!

  • After going over a few of the blog articles on your website, I honestly like your technique of blogging. I added it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Take a look at my web site too and tell me your opinion.

  • Thank you for some other great post. Where else could anybody get that type of information in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the search for such info.

  • Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Taking the time and actual effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.

Comments are closed.

Travel More, Spend Less

Sign up now and get a FREE copy of Oneika’s Top Tips for Saving Money on Accommodation!

Browse By Continent

The Americas

Europe

Asia

Africa

Australia

Browse By Continent

The Only Question:

Where to Next?

@ONEIKATRAVELLER
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Pinterest Rss

COPYRIGHT 2022 ONEIKA RAYMOND. WEBSITE DESIGN BY PINKNEY CREATIVE