This is no life for an elephant. More than 3,000 elephants used as entertainers in Asia face endless suffering. Sadly, this number is rising. Tell the tourism industry to stop hurting elephants.
A life entertaining tourists is no life for a wild animal
Across the world animals are being taken from the wild and bred in captivity to be used in the tourist entertainment industry. They will suffer at every stage of this cruel business.
The demand for wildlife holiday experiences is driving the cruel animal entertainment industry. We have the power to reduce that demand and change the industry now.
Pledge to stand with World Animal Protection in asking the travel industry to end the exploitation of wildlife and promise to not visit attractions that use wild animals for entertainment. Let elephants live free of cruelty.
With your support we are showing the industry there is a different way.
By raising awareness about the hidden cruelty behind elephant rides and shows, we are helping people make informed choices and putting pressure on the travel industry to change for the better.
The good news is that globally the elephant friendly movement is growing with more than 250 global travel companies committing to stop selling tickets to elephant rides and shows.
And public opinion is changing. Of the travellers we surveyed, around 60% said they would avoid a tour operator whose activities cause suffering for wild animals. Together, we can move more companies to stop selling cruel elephant rides and shows to tourists.
As demand shifts away from elephant rides and shows, a growing number of elephant venues are moving to high welfare conditions.
Together, with some of the world’s most influential travel companies, we have also worked to transition some venues in Asia to becoming elephant-friendly attractions. This is showing that high welfare venues can be commercially viable for elephant camp owners, encouraging them to value and care for their animals.
A high-welfare venue allows observational activities only with no direct interaction between humans and elephants. These venues allow elephants to socialise in natural herds, interacting throughout the day and night. Remember, elephants are highly intelligent and very social animals.
These once-captive elephants can safely roam through forests, bathe in a river, roll in the mud, laze in the sunshine, free to eat what they want and express their natural behaviours in natural surroundings.
Right now, as the tourism industry suffers a downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic, many elephants are at risk of going hungry. And thousands more risk being forgotten about and left to suffer in cruel captivity.
But, with ongoing help from supporters like you, we’re working to ensure elephants in tourism venues remain fed and cared for during this current crisis.
Together, we can work towards giving elephants lives worth living.
Wild animals don’t belong to us, they belong in the wild.
