Thailand has a long tradition of using elephants as beasts of burden, and they were used in the logging industry up until 1989. After the logging stopped, many elephants were left out of work and turned to the tourist industry to earn their keep. It was common for tourists to visit elephant camps and ride these beautiful animals, but this practice is now being discouraged, and tourists are encouraged to visit one of the ethical elephant parks instead. Below are some details about these parks and what you can expect when you visit one of these sanctuaries.
A More Natural Life
The modern ethical elephant camps try to give these majestic animals a more natural life than they had when working in the logging industry or taking tourists on their back. Most parks will let the animals roam freely in adopted family groups, and they are well fed and taken care of, allowing them to lead happy lives. As a visitor to one of these elephant sanctuaries, you will get to observe these animals and interact with them, which will leave you with many beautiful memories.
What To Expect When You Visit
When you want to visit an elephant conservation center, Thailand has many options throughout the country, and the itinerary is similar for each location. You will get collected from your accommodation and transported to the sanctuary, sometimes stopping off at a local market on the way to get some food for the animals. Upon arrival, you will be shown around the park and given a chance to feed the elephants, and they know that you are coming. Your guide will be able to teach you many facts about these fascinating animals, and you will also be able to watch them play in their family groups. It is also common for the parks to let guests give the elephants a batch, which both they and you will love. After this, you can get changed and get ready to head back to your accommodation after spending a day with the elephants and take away plenty of excellent memories and photos to boot.
Educating Tourists
Many tourists go to Thailand and still want to ride the elephants, and unfortunately, there are still places that allow this to happen. Education for tourists is vital in these animals’ plight, to enable them to choose an attraction that does not exploit them. Education is the key to this, and it is a process that will take time as the tourism industry adjusts to the new way of thinking. With time, patience, and education, we can all help to make this a better world for not only us humans, but the many beautiful animals that we share our planet with, giving us all better lives.