In the opening sequence of episode seven of The Life of Mammals, Sir David Attenborough rides an Asian elephant along an empty beach of white sand in Thailand. At a gesture from Attenborough, the elephant turns into the turquoise water and animal and rider go for a dip. It's an experience that many tourists seek out when visiting countries where elephants are native.
However, since that sequence, filmed in 2002, Attenborough has publicly condemned elephant riding and the use of these sensitive animals as entertainment for tourists. His 2017 documentary, Attenborough and the Giant Elephant revealed some of the suffering elephants undergo in captivity and the damage and distress riding, dancing and performing tricks can cause the animals.
- "Notoriously cruel methods are involved in training elephants be ridden." 10 cruellest and most barbaric animal attractions on the planet...
- How to be a responsible wildlife traveller
The prominent natural history presenter Chris Packham has recently written (in The Guardian in 2024) of his own regret at the memory of riding an elephant. “We [he and his stepdaughter Megan McCubbin] rode elephant-back on safari to see tigers in their natural habitat. It was the only way to see them without being mauled, but in hindsight that was no justification.”
Elephant riding and other elephant-related entertainments are still popular, especially in Asia, and supporters claim that the money raised from tourists helps support local communities and conservation projects. However, increasing numbers of tourist companies, such as Responsible Travel, do not support elephant riding, while conservation and animal welfare organisations campaign to stop the practice and the wider exploitation of elephants for tourism.
The organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sets out a strong case for banning the riding of elephants. Firstly, it repudiates the often-made argument that mounting an elephant is no different to riding a horse or using a pack of huskies to pull a sled.
Elephants, PETA argues, have not been domesticated and bred over hundreds of generations to become work animals like so many domestic livestock. While some riding elephants are from captive-bred stock, many if not most are taken as babies from the wild.
Not only does this put pressure on already threatened wild populations, it causes enormous trauma as mothers and offspring are separated. “In their natural habitat, babies stay with their mums for years – forming a relationship described as one of the closest bonds on Earth,” says Peta.
After this, the wild elephant must be 'broken' so that it obeys commands and will carry people. In Thailand, there is a particularly brutal ritual process called 'phajaan' or 'elephant crushing'. Here the animals is kept caged until its spirit breaks and it becomes tame. In other methods, elephants may be beaten or starved into submission.
Training can be equally brutal, says PETA. “Elephants in captivity endure a serious lack of exercise and spend prolonged periods standing on hard surfaces, both of which are major contributors to serious foot problems and arthritis. They’re routinely denied nutritious food, adequate water, and necessary veterinary care, especially for their feet.”
The riding itself can also caught huge suffering. The most sustainable way to ride an elephant is by sitting on its neck (as Attenborough demonstrated in Life of Mammals) but tourists often ride on the animal's back, sometimes on seated platforms or pavilions called 'howdahs'. These place enormous strain on the elephant's spine, causing deformities, sores and even damage to internal organs.
And it is not just the elephant's health that is jeopardised by riding. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine in 2013 found that Asian elephants in an Australian zoo transmitted Mycobacterium tuberculosis to a chimpanzee and to humans through regular association. It is feared that riding elephants could expose humans to contracting tuberculosis
This is supported by a paper in the International Journal for One Health published 2023 that exposed serious risk of the spread of diseases through 'elephant tourism'.
While elephant riding is less common – and more widely restricted – in Africa, PETA and other organisations advise people looking to travel to Asian countries such as India and Thailand to ask tour operators and hotels whether they promote elephant-related activities.
And “if they do, explain why they should stop”. It also urges tourists to “never ride, take selfies with, bathe, or feed an elephant, as these activities can only occur due to cruel training”.
