Take the Pledge to End Elephant Suffering for Tourism
No elephant should have to suffer for tourists’ entertainment.
Although well-meaning, tourists may not realize the harm that captive elephants endure so they can interact with them, including riding or bathing an elephant or participating in an up-close photo op, whether on an overseas trip or in the U.S.
These attractions require the often-violent domination of elephants and a lifetime of misery for these highly intelligent, emotionally complex, and self-aware animals.
The elephant tourism industry doesn’t want you to know that:
Elephants are taken from their mothers at a young age, although females naturally remain with their mothers for life. Whether brutally snatched from the wild or born in captivity, calves and mothers are undeniably traumatized.
Elephants are not domesticated – even those in born in captivity. They are wild animals forced through harsh training to submit to human control. Young elephants are physically and mentally “broken”– menaced and beaten by handlers to establish domination.
Handlers rely on the bullhook – a weapon similar to a fireplace poker – to control elephants used for interactions with the public and protect themselves. The bullhook provides a false sense of security for tourists and is a source of pain and fear for elephants.
Elephant “experiences” in the U.S. are just another form of exploitation. Elephants perform circus-style tricks, paint, and pose with paying customers for photos, while under the control of handlers wielding bullhooks.
Elephant tourism does not serve a conservation purpose. It sends the message that it’s acceptable to exploit elephants for entertainment and profit and does nothing to help wild elephants.
Captive conditions fail to meet elephants’ complex needs. Government oversight is minimal or nonexistent. The worst abuses take place behind the scenes, out of public view.
Learn more by viewing our Elephant Tourism FAQs.
You can help by making a pledge to:
- Never ride an elephant – in another country or at home.
- Never pet, bathe, or participate in an up-close photo op with an elephant.
- Never patronize places where elephants perform tricks.