Visiting an elephant sanctuary is a must for many travellers to Southeast Asia. These gentle, intelligent creatures inspire big emotions. But not all sanctuaries are genuine places of safety, and unless you know what you’re looking for, it can be difficult to judge whether a sanctuary is operating ethically or not.
The most important thing to remember with any wildlife tourism is that the interests of the animals should always be prioritised. To coincide with World Elephant Day , here are some tips on what to keep in mind..
. See elephants in the wild The greatest threat to elephants is habitat loss, often due to deforestation, which leads to conflict with local communities. It’s still possible to see elephants in the wild, with ‘walking safaris’ led by expert local guides in semi-protected forests where the elephants can wander at liberty.
Not only can you enjoy watching their natural behaviours as you spend a few hours with the herd, but by providing employment and income, this experience encourages local people to look after the forest. In this way your visit helps prevent the elephants ending up in sanctuaries in the first place. Think about safety and control Any activity that lets you get up close with an elephant puts you at risk.
These are huge, powerful, fast-moving animals and they must be kept under control if they are to be safe around humans. That means keeping their natural behaviours in check – they can’t move around freely or rub up against each oth.