It’s only Tuesday, but already our week has been made.
Conversations around ethical animal tourism hit a fever pitch last week, and are seemingly having a ripple effect globally.
Happy Elephant Care Valley, in Chiang Mai, Thailand is about to embark on a landmark agreement to transition to become a truly elephant-friendly venue.
This move will end all contact between tourists and elephants at the camp, to meet the growing demand for responsible elephant experiences.
This is really good news for all of our Elephantidae friends everyone.
The transformation of the venue is pioneered by animal welfare charity, World Animal Protection as part of a coalition of leaders in the travel industry, including TUI Group, The Travel Corporation, Intrepid Group, G Adventures, EXO Travel, Thomas Cook Group, and others.
Elephants in many venues across Thailand still offer rides that are the result of elephants suffering a cruel and intensive training process.
A 2017 KANTAR global study showed the number of people who find elephant riding acceptable has dropped by 9 per cent (from 53 per cent to 44 per cent) in just three years.
The research also showed that eight out of ten (80 per cent) of tourists would prefer to see elephants in their natural environment, proving elephant-friendly tourism is on the rise.
The elephants at Happy Elephant Care Valley were previously from farms and riding camps, and until recently it was possible for close interaction between tourists and the elephants, being able to ride, bathe and feed elephants at the venue.
This stopped when the travel industry coalition presented a business case demonstrating the rise of elephant-friendly tourism.
The transition will see the elephants free to behave as they would in the wild; free to roam the valley, bathing in mud, dust, water or grazing as tourists experience the wonder, standing at a safe distance.
World Animal Protection CEO Steve McIvor said, “With the support of the world’s leading travel companies, this agreement is a significant milestone for World Animal Protection.
“It will show that high welfare venues for elephants can be commercially viable for elephant camp owners – encouraging them to value and care for their animals.
“Happy Elephant Care Valley is a ground-breaking development for both elephants and tourists.
“It will be a very real example of an attraction where tourists can see elephants behaving naturally and freely as part of a herd.
“It will demonstrate that elephant-friendly experiences are possible, without forcing cruel interactions with people.”
