In a bustling tourist park located south of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, a young elephant roams aimlessly amidst a throng of onlookers.
The scorching dry season has taken its toll on the exposed and parched grounds, with temperatures soaring above 35C.
Loud music blares from speakers as one mature elephant reluctantly entertains the crowd by playing the harmonica. Meanwhile, another elephant, restricted by heavy chains, skillfully aims its trunk to pop balloons with darts.
Check out the video below for a closer look.
In a bustling tourist park located just south of Chiang Mai in the northern region of Thailand, a young elephant looks for solace from its mother following a tiring day of carrying tourists around in a sun-exposed and dry enclosure where temperatures reached above 35C.
Elephant caretakers, also referred to as ‘mahouts’, are constantly with the elephants, guiding them with the use of bull hooks to ensure they stay in line and follow commands.
The elephant trainers use long, pointed bullhooks to prod the animals behind their ears, ensuring any injuries are not visible to the spectators.
Elephants are compelled to showcase their talent by twirling hula hoops while captive, with ropes clearly visible around their necks to entertain the visitors.
In the past, elephants in northern Thailand were employed to transport teak wood for the logging industry, but now find themselves in captivity, entertaining tourists by sitting and spinning hula hoops.
The caregivers of these elephants, known as ‘mahouts’, constantly stand by their side, wielding bull hooks as a means of control, ready to punish the animals for any misstep they might take.
These bull hooks are cruel instruments, designed to jab at the elephants behind their ears, ensuring that any resulting wounds remain hidden from the visiting public.
Witnessing these harsh methods can be distressing for those who have visited sanctuaries like Elephant Valley Thailand, where efforts are made to rehabilitate elephants previously exploited for entertainment.
According to founder Jack Highwood, “There is no such thing as a tamed elephant, only those who have been stripped of their fighting spirit.”
In the past, elephants in northern Thailand were once utilized for hauling teak wood as part of the thriving logging trade.
One of the attractions at the tourist parks includes elephant massages, where mahouts carefully guide the gentle giants as they lightly step on the backs of the visitors.
The metal rods of a palanquin pierce into the back of an elephant, while the tourist rider remains unaware as they are carried on the back of the captured animal.
Elephants used to be mistreated by being tied up with short chains, beaten, and underfed in order to behave for tourists. Now, with the introduction of machinery to take over these tasks, locals have found alternative uses for their elephants.
Elephants have become a popular attraction, with 12.8 million tourists visiting Thailand yearly to interact with them by riding, washing, and taking selfies. However, the life of a “domesticated” elephant starts off with a cruel process known as “crushing.”
During this process, the animals are subjected to being tethered with short chains, beaten, and deprived of food to ensure their compliance. This mistreatment continues throughout their captivity. One rescued elephant, Karmoon, was chained by the roadside for five years.
Tourists would often stop in buses multiple times a day to pay to wash Karmoon, who suffered from beatings and starvation to keep her obedient. Karmoon, like many other domesticated elephants, developed a swaying head movement that may appear playful but is actually a self-soothing mechanism. The repetitive motion causes the elephant’s brain to hit its skull, releasing dopamine.
An upset elephant struggles to free itself from a restraint after being tied down for misbehaving during a show at a visitor attraction. These social animals suffer from loneliness and sadness when separated from their herd.
At a tourist park in Chang Rai, a dusty elephant is tethered to a concrete post, with barely enough space to take a step.
Elephants who have been raised in captivity are known to sway their heads, which might seem like they are being playful. However, this behavior is actually a way for elephants to cope with stress by moving their heads back and forth, causing their brain to hit against their skull and releasing dopamine. In this picture, we can see an elephant swinging a golf club for tourists.
An elephant showcasing its golf skills to entertain tourists is actually using the swinging movement of its head as a way to alleviate the stress of being in captivity.
In a tourist park, an elephant is coerced to create artwork in front of an audience, with a mahout holding a bullhook nearby. Elephants thrive in herds, and being kept alone can lead to feelings of distress and melancholy.
However, at Elephant Valley in Thailand, these majestic creatures enjoy a serene existence with minimal human contact. They are free to graze as they please and are only fed by visitors once daily. The rest of the time, they are left to wander and socialize with each other as they would in their natural habitat.
Rehabilitating these elephants is a challenging and lengthy process, but the transformation from their counterparts in the tourist park is striking.
Helping elephants that have been raised in captivity transition back to the wild is a challenging and time-consuming endeavor. The contrast between these animals and those living in tourist parks is evident. In this image, a young elephant can be seen reaching out, looking for food at a tourist park.
A captive elephant is made to entertain tourists by playing a harmonica, with a rope around its neck serving as a clear sign of its imprisonment.
In the early hours of the morning, a chair is fastened onto the back of an elephant, getting it prepared for a day filled with carrying tourists on its back.
Young elephants are typically sold at prices much higher than adult elephants, sometimes up to four times more, due to their appeal in attracting larger audiences. The elephant calf in question is currently searching for food in its surroundings.
An elephant is getting ready to launch a dart at balloons as part of the tricks it has been taught to entertain visitors.
Once the show is over, the elephants patiently wait in line to be fed by visitors, but even the promise of food fails to lift their spirits. Their trunks hang low on the ground, exuding a sense of melancholy. While these elephants appear content, the ones used for entertainment appear anxious and restless.
According to Jack, baby elephants fetch a much higher price than adult elephants because they attract larger audiences. It is truly heartbreaking to witness a young elephant wandering in a dusty enclosure, knowing that he should be with his mother and the rest of his herd if not for human interference.
At the moment, the ChangChill elephant sanctuary is in the works near Chiang Mai, providing a home for six elephants to freely explore the hills and forests in the area.
There it is – an elephant enjoying a good scratch on a tree at the ChangChill elephant sanctuary, where it shares its home with five other elephants.
Visitors to the ChangChill elephant sanctuary can be involved in feeding the elephants that roam the sanctuary’s expansive eight-acre grounds with the dedicated carers.
At the sanctuary, elephants enjoy the freedom to wander and feed on the lush trees, while the caretakers, known as mahouts, eagerly pass on their love for these gentle giants to the guests.
ChangChill provides a natural and well-designed environment for the six elephants to wander, graze, and enjoy bathing in tranquility and security.
The team at Chang Chill is working towards putting an end to the inhumane practice of using elephants for entertainment by keeping them in captivity.
At ChangChill, a lone elephant roams leisurely in the wilderness. Once a venue for elephant rides, the sanctuary has shifted its focus to promoting a more ethical approach to elephant tourism. Sanctuaries such as Elephant Valley Thailand are paving the way for a sustainable future for Thailand’s elephants. By providing tourists with the opportunity to engage with these majestic creatures in a natural setting, they are helping to reshape the industry. However, the abuse of elephants for entertainment purposes still persists in order to cater to the demands of Thailand’s thriving tourism sector.
At Elephant Valley in Chiang Rai, another sanctuary spanning 40 lush acres, elephants come together to receive a refreshing wash from their mahouts.
Visitors have the opportunity to feed the elephants at Elephant Valley Thailand once daily. Unlike captive elephants, these majestic animals seem content and joyful during feeding sessions.
Visitors observe with delight as elephants convene for a refreshing bath by their caretakers at Elephant Valley, the self-proclaimed pioneer of elephant sanctuaries in Thailand.
Visitors to Elephant Valley Thailand have the opportunity to give the elephants a treat once per day, while also getting a glimpse into the daily lives of these magnificent animals.
Watching an elephant quench its thirst from a hose at a watering hole in Elephant Valley is a sight to behold. The majority of the herd’s time is spent peacefully away from humans, enjoying their meals.
Romayne and Jenny, a couple from London, decided to take a trip to Elephant Valley Thailand along with their family. Prior to their visit, they did thorough research on the most ethical ways to interact with elephants during their vacation.
They opted for this sanctuary because they found it heartbreaking and disturbing to witness elephants chained up and forced to carry people. If you want to learn more about Elephant Valley Thailand, you can visit their website at www.elephantvalleys.com.
Daily Mail Australia joined a campaign led by World Animal Protection to raise awareness and improve the protection of elephants in captivity.
Caregivers at Elephant Valley receive specialized training in order to examine their elephants’ feet for any signs of health issues like abscesses.
Elephants come together for a gentle bath given by their caretakers at Elephant Valley sanctuary, where riding is prohibited and animals are not coerced into performing any tricks.
In Chiang Rai’s sanctuary, a joyful elephant flutters its ears in delight while a mahout lovingly gives it a bath.
During the sunny afternoon at Elephant Valley Thailand, an elephant can be seen dusting itself off. The animals who call this place home manage to eat a whopping 720kg of food daily, with bananas alone accounting for 8kg of their diet.