Elephant Sanctuaries

Travel to Thailand: Beautiful Jungles and Beautiful Animals and opportunities to protect them

"Natural Behavior?" reads a new ad on the back of Denver's RTD buses. The picture is hard to see, but it involves and elephant doing tricks.

"Not without these." asserts the voice in the sequential panel. Chains, and weapons; the bullhook, famous as an elephant handling tool.

Many of us, some of us concerned about animal rights and some not so concerned, will have seen elephants in a space where they interact with humans; and the humans carried those bullhooks. The annual Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur had a few last year giving rides to paying customers. The handlers were thus armed.

Is that justified? Is that ethical? The question gets nebulous. Organizations displaying animals from Have Trunk Will Travel to Great Cats World Park claim love and esteem for their animals, and a focus on conservation. Such was the case outlined on the signs surrounding the small track for elephants to walk at the Festival. And yet, many of these organizations have multiple attacks on their honor. An elephant conditioned to perform or work with humans is not a wild animal, really. Not anymore. Perhaps they really need those bullhooks to perform that unnatural behavior they now have. But their presence implies their continued use.

The issue is complicated. Even here in America where animals have rights; and endangered animals like Asian elephants have more. But in the countries where Asian elephants come from, India, Burma, Thailand to name a few, that is not necessary the case. These places are the best places to go to learn more about the elephant and the issues they face. There, where the issue is gritty.

The problem has given rise to opportunities for ecotourism in Asia. Ecotourism is a hard thing to justify: the carbon footprint of a flight to and from Thailand is about 4 metric tons. Or about 450 gallons of gas, the amount of carbon sequestered in a year by 3.3 acres of forest. It is a large cost. A great responsibility to make up for. I have about 200 trees to plant from seed. However, there are many organizations there who might make your conscience more bearable. Dedicated to education, outreach, and ethical treatment of animals and their natural living. In such places you will have the opportunity to see elephant behavior unlike anything a zoo could provide, or a trekking company promising you can ride on an elephant's back. Where elephants are allowed to be elephants, they will create their own family groups, talk to each other, and roll around in rivers and lakes – gloriously glad to be in the water.

The experience is more than magical. But it takes some care to find them. False sanctuaries are taking advantage of the green market. The top real sanctuaries are Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai, Boon Lots Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) near Sukhothai, and the Surin Project in Eastern Thailand. The Elephant Retirement Park may also be a good choice. Other centers of conservation are the Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment (ELIE) in Cambodia, Plant a Tree Today Foundation, the Elephant Conservation Network, or the Elephant Conservation Centre. Many of these places need volunteers to come help, learn, and love their elephants. While there, don't miss the chance to learn as much as possible about these amazing and intelligent creatures; plus the plight that they are in.

In Thailand, particularly, the elephant occupies a strange place in the mind of the people. In part, they are revered. The Thai praise the elephant for the services they have received. They know that without the elephant and the mahoot who trains them, the country might not today be independent and free. This reverence does not stop the horrible fate of those elephants. Or the lowly position of the mahoot today. Elephants, in the end, are to them as automobiles are to us. We revere them, pray to them, name them, and love them. We know that it is the automobile that truly conquered the west, Henry Ford and other businessmen which solidified American craftsmanship and economic clout. They helped us conqueror the world in our own sinister way. And without mechanics, where would we be? And yet, cars are thrown away callously when they stop running so efficiently, they are happily beaten with sledge hammers at graduation parties. And the mechanic doesn't have a glamorous or respected job, however important it is.

Before 1988, Thai elephants and mahoots had a big job to do. Most of Thailand is untamed jungle, rich with wood. Rampant and unregulated harvesting of the country's trees left only 28% of the country forested – reduced from 53.3% in 1961. In a brave move, logging was unilaterally banned – putting all those mahoot and elephants out of work. It has mostly been beneficial: Thailand's forests are protected, and they are magnificently dense jungles to visit. There are few trails, they would all become overgrown in a few days if they weren't paved or otherwise marked. There are enough for tourists to enjoy, and walk though with an experienced guide, but there isn't much for wild elephants, whose population hasn't rebounded. Today, there are an estimated 3000 – 4000 in the wild, another 3000 – 4000 in captivity; 6000 – 8000 total. Down from about 400,000 in the early 20th century.

That doesn't mean you wont see one. If you are heading out to south-east Asia, to see any of the countries there, chances are, you will see an elephant. Though their numbers have dropped shockingly, there are still many working today in big cities where tourists are eager to see them. Know that tricks from an elephant on the street are as unnatural as the circus here, and supports and industry of exploitation and harm.