I’m an animal lover. Cats. Dogs. Horses. So on a recent trip to Thailand, I desperately wanted to ride an elephant. But in doing my research for the best elephant trekking experience, I came across many articles about the cruelty of the practice, including the thought-proking, Why You Shouldn’t Ride Elephants In Thailand, by Matthew Karsten. As I said, I’m an animal lover and I don’t want to cause distress to an elephant for my own entertainment.
Then I came across the Elephant Nature Park, an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center. You can’t ride the elephants but you spend the day with them, feed them, learn about them. That seemed like a great experience and I didn’t really need to ride an elephant, did I?
An Ethical Elephant Experience
Well unfortunately, because the park is so popular, I was not able to get in. The gentleman on the phone recommended a similar sanctuary, but they too were fully booked. I was about to give up hope when I came across the Baan Chang Elephant Park. They do offer elephant rides. But how ethical are they? Was it even possible to have an ethical elephant riding experience in Thailand?
Well, on their website, they claim to be a non-profit organization, funded exclusively by visitors and donations. They adopt and rescue elephants from unsuitable living condition such as circuses, and illegal logging camps, mostly near the border with Myanmar. They are purchased and brought to the park. Unquestionably, their lives are better in the park than they were before.
Does Riding Elephants Hurt Them?
It’s been said that riding elephants causes pain and physical harm to their spine. Well, that’s probably true of the massive trekking chairs that many of the trekking camps use. But here, you ride bareback on the elephant’s neck, the way mahouts have traditionally done it for centuries. I’m not an expert, but I don’t believe this causes any pain or discomfort.
The experience itself was very moving. In the beginning, you approach the elephants in the feeding area and they playfully nudge you with their trunks. It’s both touching and a bit frightening, considering their massive size. When you see a 3 or 4 ton elephant leaning against a tree to scratch its back, you can’t help but think what would happen to you if you got in between the tree and the elephant. We had baskets full of bananas and strips of sugar cane to feed the elephants. You just hold the food and your hand and the elephant grabs it with its trunk. It’s a moving experience.
Our guide, Chi, gave us a lot of information about elephants in general and specifically about the animals at their park, about the logging camps and abuse they had been rescued from. Then we learned all the commands (in Thai) used to interact with the animals. How to get the animal to kneel down, stand up, turn, go and stop. Then the elephant kneels down and with the help of the staff you climb up on the elephant’s neck. You put your hands on the elephant’s head and off you go.
The park is small so you find yourself going around the same trail twice. You take a break and feed the elephants, then you’re on your way again. At the end, the elephants kneeled down in the water and you grab a bucket and scrub brush and clean them off. This they seem to particularly enjoy.
The Verdict
Look, I won’t say this is an elephant’s idea of nirvana. They would much rather be roaming free. But that’s not really an option for animals that have already been domesticated. And as I mentioned, this life is definitely an improvement over what they went through before. I know there are a lot of disreputable elephant trekking camps out there so I encourage you to do your research. But I was happy with the experience and believe that the elephants at Baan Chang Elephant Park are well-treated.