Thailand's Elephant Sanctuaries Mask Unethical Practices

The contradiction of Thailand’s ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuariesLegacyElephants have served as icons of Thai culture for centuries. They are plastered on touristy pants, temple walls, and even the national flag from 1855 to 1916. The reality is, every operator uses the same “ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand” label, irrespective of whether they’ve earned it or not. War and peace The story of Nalagari is a tale in Buddhism that teaches kindness. Devadatta, the Buddha’s cousin, releases a drunken elephant to attack the Buddha. Rather than running away, the Buddha remained in his place and treated the elephant with kindness. The elephant bows to the Buddha and calms down rather than attacking him. Depiction of the Story of Nalagari. Image: Tamil Heritage Trust Kindness towards animals is a fundamental facet of Buddhism, which teaches ahimsa – nonviolence and compassion towards all living things.  However, the elephant-human relationship in Thailand has been much more complicated than the elephant-Buddha one.  The first records of elephants frame them as war animals. The Battle of Nong Sari in 1593 was a duel between Siamese King Naresuan the Great and Burmese Crown Prince Mingyi Swa that solidified the Ayutthaya kingdom’s legitimacy with Swa’s death. The battle, and the elephants each royal rode into battle, are commemorated each year on January 18, Royal Thai Armed Forces Day.  Depiction of the Battle of Nong Sa Rai. Image: Britannica The call of the wild With modernisation and urbanisation in the mid-to-late 20th century, elephants became crucial in the process of moving wood from the rural northern provinces into the cities. They carried tonnes of wood for hundreds of miles in humid heat, chained and muzzled to ensure compliance. Tasked with dismantling their own habitats, many died decades short of their average lifespan.  Phajaan, or elephant crushing, is a practice that has been used to domesticate baby elephants since well before their logging days. It is believed to separate the spirit of the elephant from its body, surrendering all control to human handlers. It is brutal – the babies are tied up in a wooden enclosure and beaten until they are decidedly submissive. This was particularly common in logging camps, considered necessary to make the elephant as profitable as possible.  Phaajan, or elephant crushing. When logging was banned in 1989, elephant trainers, or mahouts, struggled to find a humanitarian and lucrative alternative. Many began begging in city streets, which was neither.  Others realised their opportunity to profit from the growing tourism industry by training their elephants to perform for tourists’ entertainment. Elephant shows began popping up across the country, featuring elephants capable of performing human tasks such as painting and dancing. The growth of the industry drew more attention to phaajan practices, which were condemned in the UN Report ‘Gone Astray’ in 1999.  Today, dozens of international humanitarian organisations have condemned the practice and urged the Thai government to take a stand against it. The elephant industry has undergone another transformation, one branded as ethical but not always practised that way, which has complicated the search for a real ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand. The perks of being a wallflower It’s plastered on every elephant ‘sanctuary’ website. Ethical. Like most tourists, I wanted to have an opportunity to see the majestic animals in an environment that wouldn’t cause them harm. There were dozens of options, with relatively similar names and descriptions that insinuated elephants living there were in luxury and couldn’t wait to meet me.  I decided on a certain elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. We changed into ‘traditional’ Karen clothing and listened to a bit of information about the elephants that the company describes as essential so that “by the time you walk out to meet them, they won’t be strangers.” We sat in a pavilion a few hundred feet from four seemingly exhausted elephants. At one point, we looked at each other, shocked when we saw a mahout deliver a sharp slap to their backs and a loud squeal in response. I expected to be taught about each elephant’s past and how the sanctuary has built the “deep bonds of trust” that they advertise. Instead, we were told each elephant’s age and whether they preferred bananas or watermelon.  The covered space where the elephants are kept when they aren’t interacting with tourists. Then, we marched outside to feed the elephants some fruit. They remained in this covered area until they were instructed to move outside in a clearly well-practised transition. They sat at individual grass piles and sat still while we took pictures for over an hour.  At the beginning, we were awestruck by our proximity to these magnificent beasts. It didn’t take long to realise that the shock was not at all mutual. The veterinarian informed us that these same four female elephants were showcased to the tourists every day, sleeping in the enclosure we met them in.  The rest of the afternoon was grim. It felt as though we were playing caretaker for a pet – we made them food, bathed them, threw mud on their backs, and fed them. We were not witnessing any normal “elephant’s natural daily routines” as the website suggests, simply the routines of these four elephants who spend each day entertaining tourists.  My brother, in the ‘traditional’ clothing provided, posing for a picture with an elephant at the sanctuary. While the website for the sanctuary features each of its elephants, it gives no more information than their names. I assumed that these ‘ethical sanctuaries’ must rescue their elephants from trauma. The reality is that there are no laws in Thailand that prevent any enterprise from calling itself an ethical elephant sanctuary. ‘Ethical’ and ‘sanctuary’ are simply words that allow tourists to justify their visit. Ethicality is inherently subjective, no more obvious than its use to describe such a range of conditions for Thai elephants. What defines a ‘sanctuary’? This place certainly seemed to treat its elephants with more dignity than a logging camp or circus would. It also clearly prioritises the interests of tourists above all humanitarian concerns. Relative ethicality is the name of the game, a careful balancing act justified by past tragedies.  That is not to say that every ethical elephant sanctuary is simply capitalising on tourist humanitarian guilt. This information simply serves to prevent you from making the same mistake I did – leaving regretful for my contribution to the elephants’ continued mistreatment. The city of bones Surin elephant province, perhaps the most famous place in Thailand to see the elephants, has a complicated history with humanitarian concerns. Their annual festival, the Surin Elephant Round-Up, began as a hunting ritual, after which caught elephants would be trained for war. It transitioned into more of a spectacle under the Ayutthaya kings, a show in which already-tame elephants would be ‘captured’ for viewers’ amusement. After a brief hiatus, the festival evolved into a purely tourist festival in which elephants are marched through the village, used for rides, and perform. While the festival used to function relatively undisputedly for mahouts to show off their elephants’ tricks and entertain tourists, it came under immense scrutiny by humanitarian organisations.  Photo of the Surin Elephant Round-up in 2023, courtesy of Martine A., who described the event as a negative experience for animal welfare However, there are ways to visit Surin and see the home of elephants in Thailand without contributing to their suffering. The Surin Project offers a unique model of making real change – they temporarily employ mahouts and their elephants in their sanctuary by teaching both how to prioritise the elephants’ welfare. This model, unlike buying the elephants straight up, keeps incentives for the mahouts to commit to the project’s mission rather than simply buying a new elephant.  How to actually find an ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand Sanctuaries that truly operate in the elephants’ interests do not allow you to bathe or really touch them at all. The reality is that elephants are not naturally equipped to deal with tourists safely, and frankly, the reverse seems equally true.  Various sanctuaries allow you to observe the elephants from a distance as they enjoy their lives in open spaces. Look for sanctuaries that have information about elephants’ stories on their websites and, most importantly, read reviews! For a truly hands-off experience in Chiang Mai, check out Elephant Nature Park. They are known for their hands-off approach and a skywalk tour, which allows you to observe the elephants from above without disturbing their environment. The owner, Saengduean Lek Chailert, has been recognised by global leaders including Hillary Clinton and Emmanuel Macron for her conservation efforts.  Lek Chailert with an elephant. Image: Elephant Nature Park If you’re looking for a place closer to Bangkok, look at Somboon Legacy Foundation in Kanchanaburi. They also operate on a strict no-touch policy for their four rescued elephants. It’s an hour and a half from Bangkok, and they cap tourists at 12 visitors per day.  In Phuket, check out Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. Their commitment to elephant health extends to their on-site elephant hospital and Thailand’s longest canopy walkway for observation. Finding a genuine ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand comes down to what you don’t get to do. No bathing, no riding, no forced interaction on cue. Keep your eyes open wherever you go and ask as many questions as possible about the treatment the elephants receive. The story The contradiction of Thailand’s ‘ethical’ elephant sanctuaries as seen on Thaiger News.