Travel book publisher DK has promised to stop promoting elephant rides in all its travel guides. Part of Penguin Random House, the publisher will remove any photos showing animals being ridden and will not recommend any activities involving riding.
DK will also include information about the cruelty and controversy surrounding captive-elephant exhibits in future publications. The move comes after animal rights organization PETA started corresponding with the company about the issue.
“DK joins dozens of travel companies in rejecting tourist traps that force highly intelligent, social elephants to give rides,” says PETA Director Elisa Allen. “PETA urges travelers to keep all captive-elephant camps off their itineraries, and DK’s commitment to education will help prevent holidaymakers from inadvertently supporting cruelty to animals.”
More than 160 travel companies have stopped promoting activities that use elephants for riding or entertainment, including The Travel Corporation – which Contiki and other well-known brands are a part of – TUI, Thomas Cook and Intrepid Travel.
Elephants that are ridden are not merely ‘trained’, they are broken. Often taken from their mothers when young, they undergo extreme cruelty to break their spirit and make them ‘manageable.’
Adult elephants used for rides continue to suffer. They are unable to perform natural, social behaviors, and are often kept chained up for long periods.
With support for exploitative elephant tourist activities dropping, several attractions have moved away from riding, instead opting for hands-off tourist experiences. For example, Happy Elephant Care Valley in Chiang Mai, Thailand is working with World Animal Protection to create healthy, natural environments for their elephants – moving away from the traditional riding and entertainment model.
An increasing number of facilities throughout Southeast Asia are working to provide ethical, cruelty-free elephant sanctuaries – so there’s no excuse for tourists to support the abuse of elephants in order to get close to these incredible, gentle giants.
What’s New…
Elephants aren’t amusement park rides and shouldn’t be treated as such. They are living beings. Abusing and exploiting them for our own selfish purposes is cruel and dangerous.
Well done, DK. I hope more companies follow your example
Well done, DK. Elephants forced to give people rides are suffering more than you could ever imagine. That is why I don’t participate in any activity or attraction that exploits animals.
Yes! Nearly all these outfits dupe tourists into believing they are doing “good” and nothing is further from the truth. Most elephants at tourist traps still live in chains and are “controlled” with bullhooks. Please: If you care about elephants, don’t ride them.
Thank you to DK for this compassionate and progressive decision! Elephants are not ours to use and abuse for rides. No one should be promoting these cruel activities.
This is awesome, DK! Elephants (and all animals) should never be exploited for tourism, entertainment or another’s profit. Let’s hope more travel agencies follow suit and all elephants are released to sanctuaries soon.
Bravo for DK! As they learn about how elephants suffer, more and more companies are making the same compassionate decision.
THANKYOU
Well done, DK and other companies for doing this. Thank you.
That is great news indeed.
Thank you, thank you
That’s great news – travel industry with a heart. How nice.
It is good to see that groups in the travel industry are moving toward shunning cruelty toward elephants.
I will be very happy to see elephants not used for rides.
Wunderbar! Imagine being chained to give rides to little grey or green people who underestimated our intelligence or feelings (or didn’t care), because they could.
We should not be pimping elephants for rides.
Thank you, PETA!
Such great news! Thanks!
Good Decision.
YES!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!