On January 1, 2026, Bali Zoo officially stopped offering elephant rides following a new government directive and mounting pressure from international animal welfare organizations, including World Animal Protection. The move reflects growing recognition that elephant riding is harmful and stressful for these gentle giants and signals a shift toward more ethical wildlife tourism.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry issued a nationwide directive requiring conservation centers that manage elephants to end elephant-riding activities, as part of efforts to strengthen animal welfare standards. The directive encourages facilities to shift toward educational and observation-based experiences that allow elephants to engage in natural behaviors rather than perform for entertainment.
The Bali Zoo is now emphasizing educational experiences, such as observing elephants bathe, feed, and interact socially. By prioritizing observation over rides, the zoo hopes to provide visitors with meaningful encounters that respect the animals’ well-being.
Elephant riding is widely recognized as physically and mentally stressful for the animals. It often involves harmful training practices, including the use of bullhooks, to coerce elephants into compliance. These methods can cause injury, chronic stress, and behavioral issues, while also restricting elephants’ natural social behaviors.
Ending elephant rides is part of a broader effort to transition toward ethical tourism that supports natural behaviors. According to World Animal Protection, safari parks, including TSI Bogor, TSI Prigen, and A’Famosa have taken similar steps, indicating a growing industry-wide commitment to animal welfare.
Prevents Abuse: Eliminates the need for harsh training methods that can cause physical and psychological harm.
Promotes Natural Behavior: Allows elephants to roam freely, socialize with other elephants, and engage in normal activities such as bathing and foraging.
Educational Value: Visitors gain a deeper understanding of elephant behavior and conservation through respectful observation rather than harmful interaction.
Although this marks a historic step forward for animal welfare, some facilities in Indonesia continue to offer elephant rides. Advocates are calling for a comprehensive, nationwide ban to ensure that all captive elephants are treated ethically. The shift reflects a growing global movement toward tourism practices that prioritize animal welfare and foster sustainable, respectful interactions between humans and animals
.jpg)
Baby elephant being tortured for elephant rides rides The footage, shot in Thailand, shows elephants chained up and being trained to perform tricks, like walking on their hind legs, spinning a hula hoop with their trunks or painting on a canvas.
Ben Pearson, head of campaigns at World Animal Protection in Australia, said mother elephants typically remain close to their young for up to five years in the wild.
"In the case of the videos that we're seeing here … after only a couple of years, the baby is essentially snatched from the mother who never sees it again," he told the ABC.
"Elephants are intelligent animals, they're sentient beings and frankly, their mothers and babies have a bond, which is similar to us.
"We know in the case of one of those elephants, this has happened to her four times. The impact is just immense trauma."
A still from the footage shows the moment before a baby elephant is pulled away from its mother. (Supplied: World Animal Protection)
He said while many tourists to South-East Asia had become aware of the harms of elephant riding, the same practises, known as "crushing", were involved behind the scenes in elephant bathing and other close interactions with humans.
"They are wild animals, they do not want to be in contact with human beings," he said.
"The only way an elephant would submit to do anything like riding or being in a pool of water with a bunch of tourists who splash water on it … is if it's gone through this brutal training process.
"What's distressing is that trauma and that cruelty is intentional. I mean, that's part of the process. Essentially, that baby elephant has its spirit broken, and therefore can be used in the tourist trade."
World Animal Protection said the footage was shot in an elephant training camp in Thailand between 2018 and 2020, and said some elephants were sent to larger tourist areas like Chiang Mai or Phuket for activities like rides, shows or elephant washing.
They did not name specific tourism operators, and it is unclear where the elephants were sent.
A number of tourist ventures continue to advertise elephant rides online.
The ABC contacted Chiang Mai Local Tours, which confirmed the company offered elephant rides. They asked for further questions to be sent via email, but did not respond by deadline.
Anchalee Kalampichit, owner of the Maesa Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai, said the camp had been running since 1976 and that elephant riding, as well as a show that featured elephants painting pictures, playing football and performing tricks, had been "a success" with tourists in the past.
"Unfortunately, it did happen, although it certainly was not common practice, and was committed by staff ignorant in ways to train an animal," she told the ABC in response to the video.
"I don't condone that behaviour and if any of my staff were to do that now, they would be dismissed immediately."
She said she resolved to run a more ethical operation when she took over the business last year, and said the closure due to the coronavirus pandemic had given her the opportunity to change practices.
Some of the 78 elephants had been taken to a new location where they "live chain-free, able to roam the park, bathe in the stream, take mud baths, and live as natural a life as we can provide", while the remaining elephants at Maesa Camp are taken into the jungle behind the park for food and exercise, she said.
"People can come and see the elephants, and feed them, but there is no more show, no more riding," she said.
It comes at a time when there are concerns elephants could starve as travel restrictions due to the pandemic has left elephant tourism operators and mahouts (trainers) out of work.
Save Elephant Foundation helped elephants kicked out of sanctuary parks due to the lack of tourists from the coronavirus pandemic to return home to their natural habitats. (Save Elephants Foundation)
Travellers push for ethical tourism
The issue is not restricted to Thailand. Elephant "crushing" is prevalent across South-East Asia.
A report from World Animal Protection in 2018 highlighted ill treatment of elephants, dolphins and other animals in "wildlife abusement parks" in Bali — a popular travel destination for Australians.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought international travel to a halt, but Natalie Kyriacou, founder and CEO at My Green World said it was "likely that South-East Asia will be a key region that Australians flock to once travel restrictions ease".
"There is absolutely a growing awareness among travellers of the prevalence of animal cruelty across the tourism industry," she said.
"Often videos depicting animal cruelty [justifiably] trigger emotional and impassioned responses. I think it's important that this response does not morph into discriminatory attacks on a single community, culture, country or region."
Ms Kyriacou said while data was limited, anecdotally, there was a marked increase in online activism and demand for ethical tourism, with travel operators moving towards more ethical models.
World Animal Protection is urging travellers to find tourism opportunities that prioritise elephant welfare. (Unsplash: Annie Sprat)
Philip Pearce, foundation professor of tourism at James Cook University, said there was a rising concern among Western tourists about the mistreatment of animals.
"The ethics of elephant riding and its hidden training procedures deeply disturb many well-informed tourists,"he said.
"The topic is one part of a social and ethical concern about the tourism industry behaving well and tourists doing their part to promote better industry and personal behaviour."
World Animal Protection urged travellers to seek out observation-only elephant tourism operators that prioritised animal welfare.
Mr Pearson said many Australians may have taken part in elephant riding or bathing in the past.
"It's not about making people feel guilty. It's more about providing people the information they need so that they don't contribute to this cruelty in the future," he said.
Key points:
- New footage shows elephants chained up and trained to perform tricks
- Baby elephants are put through a "crushing" process for rides or entertainment
- World Animal Protection is urging travellers to seek out ethical tourism
The footage, shot in Thailand, shows elephants chained up and being trained to perform tricks, like walking on their hind legs, spinning a hula hoop with their trunks or painting on a canvas.
Ben Pearson, head of campaigns at World Animal Protection in Australia, said mother elephants typically remain close to their young for up to five years in the wild.
"In the case of the videos that we're seeing here … after only a couple of years, the baby is essentially snatched from the mother who never sees it again," he told the ABC.
"Elephants are intelligent animals, they're sentient beings and frankly, their mothers and babies have a bond, which is similar to us.
"We know in the case of one of those elephants, this has happened to her four times. The impact is just immense trauma."
A still from the footage shows the moment before a baby elephant is pulled away from its mother. (Supplied: World Animal Protection)
He said while many tourists to South-East Asia had become aware of the harms of elephant riding, the same practises, known as "crushing", were involved behind the scenes in elephant bathing and other close interactions with humans.
"They are wild animals, they do not want to be in contact with human beings," he said.
"The only way an elephant would submit to do anything like riding or being in a pool of water with a bunch of tourists who splash water on it … is if it's gone through this brutal training process.
"What's distressing is that trauma and that cruelty is intentional. I mean, that's part of the process. Essentially, that baby elephant has its spirit broken, and therefore can be used in the tourist trade."
World Animal Protection said the footage was shot in an elephant training camp in Thailand between 2018 and 2020, and said some elephants were sent to larger tourist areas like Chiang Mai or Phuket for activities like rides, shows or elephant washing.
They did not name specific tourism operators, and it is unclear where the elephants were sent.
A number of tourist ventures continue to advertise elephant rides online.
Previously unseen footage shows a baby elephant tied up in Thailand. (Supplied: World Animal Protection)
The ABC contacted Chiang Mai Local Tours, which confirmed the company offered elephant rides. They asked for further questions to be sent via email, but did not respond by deadline.
Anchalee Kalampichit, owner of the Maesa Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai, said the camp had been running since 1976 and that elephant riding, as well as a show that featured elephants painting pictures, playing football and performing tricks, had been "a success" with tourists in the past.
"Unfortunately, it did happen, although it certainly was not common practice, and was committed by staff ignorant in ways to train an animal," she told the ABC in response to the video.
"I don't condone that behaviour and if any of my staff were to do that now, they would be dismissed immediately."
She said she resolved to run a more ethical operation when she took over the business last year, and said the closure due to the coronavirus pandemic had given her the opportunity to change practices.
Some of the 78 elephants had been taken to a new location where they "live chain-free, able to roam the park, bathe in the stream, take mud baths, and live as natural a life as we can provide", while the remaining elephants at Maesa Camp are taken into the jungle behind the park for food and exercise, she said.
"People can come and see the elephants, and feed them, but there is no more show, no more riding," she said.
It comes at a time when there are concerns elephants could starve as travel restrictions due to the pandemic has left elephant tourism operators and mahouts (trainers) out of work.
Save Elephant Foundation helped elephants kicked out of sanctuary parks due to the lack of tourists from the coronavirus pandemic to return home to their natural habitats. (Save Elephants Foundation)
Travellers push for ethical tourism
The issue is not restricted to Thailand. Elephant "crushing" is prevalent across South-East Asia.
A report from World Animal Protection in 2018 highlighted ill treatment of elephants, dolphins and other animals in "wildlife abusement parks" in Bali — a popular travel destination for Australians.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought international travel to a halt, but Natalie Kyriacou, founder and CEO at My Green World said it was "likely that South-East Asia will be a key region that Australians flock to once travel restrictions ease".
"There is absolutely a growing awareness among travellers of the prevalence of animal cruelty across the tourism industry," she said.
"Often videos depicting animal cruelty [justifiably] trigger emotional and impassioned responses. I think it's important that this response does not morph into discriminatory attacks on a single community, culture, country or region."
Ms Kyriacou said while data was limited, anecdotally, there was a marked increase in online activism and demand for ethical tourism, with travel operators moving towards more ethical models.
World Animal Protection is urging travellers to find tourism opportunities that prioritise elephant welfare. (Unsplash: Annie Sprat)
Philip Pearce, foundation professor of tourism at James Cook University, said there was a rising concern among Western tourists about the mistreatment of animals.
"The ethics of elephant riding and its hidden training procedures deeply disturb many well-informed tourists,"he said.
"The topic is one part of a social and ethical concern about the tourism industry behaving well and tourists doing their part to promote better industry and personal behaviour."
World Animal Protection urged travellers to seek out observation-only elephant tourism operators that prioritised animal welfare.
Mr Pearson said many Australians may have taken part in elephant riding or bathing in the past.
"It's not about making people feel guilty. It's more about providing people the information they need so that they don't contribute to this cruelty in the future," he said.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten