Don’t Ride Elephants, Unless…
Tiger Tops Elephant Camp. © Danielle Carnahan
We can all agree that tourists should not be riding elephants; but the piece of the puzzle we are often overlooking is the need for elephant handlers (mahouts) to ride their elephants. The problem is, we like to think of things as black and white, all or nothing… when in reality, things are rarely this way. The don’t ride elephants campaign has educated many potential tourists about the harm they can do while riding elephants, but it has also caused many people to villainize mahouts that are simply doing their jobs.
Unfortunately, elephants exist in captivity— this is a direct cause of on our own desire to bring them closer and use them for exploitative activities. Now that there are large captive populations, there needs to be safe ways to care for them. There are two ways to do this…
Protected contact— this is where there is always a barrier between the elephant and the human (zoos follow this model)
Unprotected contact— this is where there the elephant and human are interacting without a safety barrier between them (many sanctuaries follow this model, especially in countries where elephants are native)
For the purpose of this article, we will be talking exclusively about unprotected contact environments because in a protected contact environment, there is no close tourist or keeper interaction and therefore no need to ride; however, across Asia (where most people will ride elephants and do other close contact activities) the vast majority of elephant care is unprotected.
Now the tourism industry has done an amazing job of painting elephants to be gentle, soft, and kind animals. A species that loves interaction and thinks humans are great. With the anthropomorphism* that often takes place with elephants, the fact that elephants are dangerous wild animals gets overlooked.
*projecting human emotions onto non-human animals.
The reality is, elephants kill around 400 people per year in India alone… and another 500 people are killed annually by African elephants. They are by no means “safe” animals to be around, and they definitely are not easy to manage in captivity… which brings us to the issue of riding.
How Do Mahouts Control Elephants?
The unfortunate reality for elephants in captivity is that they have to be controlled, for a few reasons:
To comply with tourists “need” for elephant interaction
To minimize the risk of somebody getting injured by them
To make their care easier (ie. vet care, preventative treatments, etc.)
Of course the combination of these reasons depends on the kind of management style the elephant is in. In a sanctuary that has no tourist interaction, like Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary, reason #2 and #3 are why the elephants require a level of control. In a tourist camp where the elephants are swimming with tourists, reason #1 and #2 are why the elephants require complete control.
Therefore, depending on the management of the system, the elephant will be trained and treated differently, some with more dominance based training methods, while others with more positive reinforcement training methods. However, the need for the mahout to ride the elephant still remains. This is because, the elephants back is the safest place for the mahout and it gives them the most control over their elephant.
Elephant Valley Project Thailand (now closed) © Danielle Carnahan
While there are many facilities across Asia where tourists are not seeing the mahouts riding the elephants, this does not mean it isn’t a part of the management style. Some facilities may not ride every elephant everyday; however, every single elephant needs to be able to accept a mahout on their back in order to maintain a safe environment. For elephants outside of tourist camps that you may feel unclear about the types of situations that would warrant them being ridden, here are some examples:
If there is a fight between elephants, the mahouts can regain control in the safest way by riding another elephant in to separate the two that are fighting.
If there is a need to go into dangerous terrain (because of dangerous landscape or wildlife) it is safest for the mahout to be on top where predators cannot attack them and where they can see better. This also ensures that if, for example, a wild elephant or tiger was spotted, the mahout can keep the captive elephant calmer by being on their back.
If an elephant is more aggressive or difficult to manage, it is safer for the mahout to move them while on their back.
Of course there are other ways to control an elephant, but many of those ways may require additional force. If a mahout feels safe, they are less likely to resort to painful methods of control— making riding the elephant a great option. So while some may see a mahout riding their elephant and think they are wrong because people should not be on elephants… ask yourself, would you rather them be walking next to the elephant but using excessive force because they are uncomfortable controlling the elephant from the ground?
While it can feel like both of these options aren’t great… in many cases this is the reality that elephant owners are facing. And when confronted with these two options, of course the least stressful and least painful option is the way to go.
Why You Should Never Ride an Elephant
There should not be any need to explain further than… it’s unnecessary. But of course, some tourists don’t care much about what’s “necessary”; however, that’s the number one distinction between mahouts riding their elephants and tourists riding an elephant. When mahouts are riding, it has a purpose beyond entertainment.
And while this is only an hour out of a tourists life, it perpetuates the abuse and exploitation of captive elephants. This has lasting effects because every time a tourist puts their money into this activity, it fuels the demand, which also fuels…
More forced and captive breeding
More baby elephants being broken/trained using harsh dominance based training methods
More elephants living in subpar living environments without access to their basic needs like food, water, and veterinary care
Not to mention it gets us one step closer to elephants disappearing from the wild and going extinct all together due to a lack of conservation focus and funds.
But listen… even though the most known campaign is to not ride elephants, the exploitation doesn’t stop there. Whether you’re riding the elephant, or swimming with them, or giving them a bath, or watching them do a trick, the impacts are the same. Too often we can be quick to preach that riding elephants is inhumane but will then be the first to get into a bathing suit and swim around in a mud hole with elephants… as if there is a difference.
The primary underlying issue is not the specifics of the work the elephant is doing, it’s the way in which the elephant is treated in order to participate in these activities and the further impact it has on the wildlife tourism industry. Conservationists have less control over the direction wildlife tourism goes because it is in the hands of the consumer, whatever is making money for animal owners is what’s going to stick.
How Mahouts Have Been Impacted By The Don’t Ride Elephants Campaign
Tiger Tops Elephant Camp. © Danielle Carnahan
By consumers failing to see the differences between why a mahout would ride an elephant and why tourists riding elephants is wrong, mahouts lives have gotten harder. They have gotten more ridicule and shame from unknowing tourists who believe the mahout is abusing the elephant by riding on their back. Unfortunately, now even in the most ethical of facilities mahouts are nervous to be seen on top of their elephants because they do not want to be photographed by someone who is going to shame them on the internet or make them out to be an elephant abuser.
This is a sad reality as so many mahouts are truly working for elephant welfare and are doing an amazing job contributing to the conservation of the species. Without well trained mahouts, the lives of captive elephants across Asia would be far worse as they would likely have to stay in enclosures all day everyday instead of being able to go into open spaces and graze as elephants at many sanctuaries have the freedom to do.
There is no doubt there are bad mahouts out there that do not treat their elephants well, but the more respect and better treatment mahouts get, the better their quality of life will be. And elephant welfare begins when mahout welfare is considered.
We cannot establish positive change for captive elephants without also taking care of those who are integral in the care of the elephants.