The perception of African vs. Asian elephants globally is astoundingly different, and it comes down to the messaging we receive through media. Take a moment to think of an African elephant, then do the same for an Asian elephant. Most of us imagined a wild African elephant and a captive Asian elephant. Why? Because it’s what we see.

Popular media and the tourist industry are full of Asian elephants with saddles on their backs, humans draped around their trunks posing for photos, and their trunks painted for festivals. Alternatively, the majestic African elephant is generally documented in the bush, with safari-goers taking pictures of them from a distance. This has led to stereotypes being placed on both species, and although the stigmas are opposite, both can be harmful to the conservation of the species.

The African Elephant Stereotype

Many carry a fear of African elephants due to their size and known power. This has led many to believe they are innately violent and pose an immediate danger to humans. However, this can push safari-goers to avoid seeking out herds of elephants to observe under the false pretense that it’s dangerous. While elephants can be dangerous (see: are elephants dangerous), most elephants will not harm humans when unprovoked and given the personal space they deserve.

The stigma against African elephants that they are ruthless beasts roaming the continent of Africa takes away from proper elephant education and appreciation.  Further, it can increase conflict between wild elephants and humans in some cases if people have not been informed about elephant behavior and best practices for coexisting with the species.

The Asian Elephant Stereotype

Over 15,000 captive Asian elephants around Asia are in captivity with many being used for exploitative tourist activities like riding, bathing, photo ops, and more. Since many are used to seeing Asian elephants in hands-on captive environments, there’s a false belief that they are docile. This has led to the continued exploitation and abuse of elephants globally.

This impacts the elephant's mental health, which, in some cases, can make them more dangerous to interact with. These close interactions can result in injuries to both elephant caregivers and tourists. However, this is not to say they are unnecessarily aggressive. When we enter into the personal space of such a large animal, we are always putting ourselves at risk.

 The belief that captive Asian elephants have become domesticated has created a false sense of safety around these (still) wild animals. This can even cause more dangerous incidents between humans and wild elephants due to the misinformation that we can interact closely with them. By going too close and trying to create hands-on interactions with wild elephants, humans are being injured and killed by wild Asian elephants.

While fighting both of these stereotypes can be challenging without canceling one or the other out, extreme beliefs are the underlying problem. Elephants are generally non-aggressive when given space, but they are not suitable for close interaction as they are still wild animals. These extreme beliefs lead to misunderstanding elephants and therefore incorrectly interacting with and viewing them.

Showing Elephants Respect

The point is that we must see elephants for what they are. Like any other wild species, they can pose a threat to humans but this is often caused by human error. Unprotected hands-on tourism with elephants is not safe or ethical. It’s unreasonable to interact so closely with wild animals without expecting our safety to potentially be compromised. However, by respecting elephants and providing them with the personal space they need, they often do not pose any imminent danger to humans.

To learn more about when in an elephants life they can be more aggressive and potentially pose more danger to humans, check out this article that covers peaks in aggression from elephants. And remember, elephants are wild animals and should always be treated as such.