Abstract
Simple SummaryIn Thailand, captive elephants are used in tourism and involved in a variety of activities, such as feeding, bathing, riding, or just observation. The welfare of these elephants has been a topic of intense debate in recent years, resulting in divergent opinions on what are or are not appropriate uses. This paper summarizes the current status of captive elephants in Thailand, highlighting issues and challenges facing elephant tourism today. We review recent welfare studies conducted to understand how tourist activities affect welfare outcomes and provide recommendations for the future. Captive elephants in Thailand must be managed under human care with good practices aimed at meeting welfare needs to ensure healthy, sustainable populations. Our goal is to provide information to elephant facilities on best practices, and relay findings to governmental and tourist organizations in Thailand to ensure the welfare and sustainability of this important species.Thailand is the epicenter of elephant tourism and visiting an elephant camp is a popular activity according to the Tourist Authority of Thailand. However, the welfare of these elephants has been questioned by animal activist groups, international tour operators, and the public. Conclusions that the vast majority of captive elephants are abused often are based on anecdotal evidence and not solid science. So, it is difficult to tease apart emotion, opinion, and fact with regard to what practices are good or bad for elephant welfare. The aim of this paper was to: (1) describe the unique status of captive elephants in Thailand and associated regulations, (2) summarize current issues and challenges facing elephant tourism, (3) review studies conducted on welfare of tourist elephants in Thailand, and (4) offer recommendations for how elephants can be properly cared for under captive conditions in tourist camps. We conclude there are many ways to manage these elephants, and that not all tourist activities are bad for welfare. However, it is essential they be managed in a way that meets physical, physiological and psychological needs, and that management decisions are based on objective data.
Highlights
Thailand began to respond to criticisms about elephant welfare beginning in 2002 when the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) created a set of standards and regulations for proper housing; food and water provisioning; health care and registration; mahout rights; facility environmental and waste management; and tourist services and safety
There are a number of obstacles that hinder efforts to ensure the welfare of captive elephants in Thailand: limited welfare knowledge of mahouts and camp/elephant owners; lack of enforceable welfare standards and laws; and decreasing mahoutship, all of which vary among camps and between regions
In 2019, the Asian Captive Elephant Standards (ACES) was established to improve elephant welfare in South East Asia through certification of camps based on husbandry guidelines [86] created in consultation with several organizations: TravelLife, Asian Captive Elephant Working Group (ACEWG), Chiang Mai University (CMU), National Elephant Institute (NEI) and the Pacific Asian Tourism Association (PATA)
Summary
The total number of elephants in Thailand is estimated to be 6783–7483, with 3783 being captive and 3000–3500 in the wild [1,2]. Elephants in Thailand have been under human care since the 13th century (Table 1) and used for a variety of purposes, e.g., war (like horses in western countries), religious and cultural ceremonies, and logging. The use of captive elephants in tourism has been ongoing for almost five decades. Thailand is the epicenter of elephant tourism. The National Institute of Elephant Research and Health Service, Department of Livestock Development estimated there were 2700 elephants working in 250 tourist venues across the country in 2017 [5]. Elephants mainly used in tourism, with some working in rubber plantations in the south
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