My entertainment is not worth the suffering these animals have to endure. Institutional email for mathematical organization. Organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and World Animal Protection have mounted influential media campaigns denouncing riding, where they show elephants as young as 18 to 24 months old being chained up and beaten with bullhooks. If you still believe that the person who wrote the article has any credibility, and refuse to believe the facts such as successful elephant births to refute the anti elephant propaganda, let me use simple mathematics to prove some of information to be wrong. Why should those mahouts and elephants be punished?
The animals are well cared for, fed and live in a family group. Does riding elephants hurt back? Mahouts have been looking after elephants longer than Christianity and Islam have existed, Roberts notes. What Can You Do if You Don't Want to Ride Elephants? Elephants spines cannot support the weight of people and doing so all day can lead to permanent spinal injuries. Tourism is not a need for captive elephants; its a thing to do with captive elephants to help them eat. Put your tourist dollars where they
will do the most good, and skip the trekking camps. Dont be put off by all elephant riding places, just do your research before hand! I have a response to Natalie:
In regards to the toughness of elephant skin - yes, it is thick, but it is incredibly sensitive and packed with nerves. There are further complications from having a chair (howdah) attached to their backs. Their mission is to protect & care for mistreated elephants rescued from the tourism and logging industries. She's seen the abuse the babies go through. Like other posters, I personally visited Patara Elephant Farm last year and saw none of the awful practices detailed in this article. The people doing the training are not gentle whatsoever with the bullhook and there are videos showing the Pajaan training and how violent it really is. Spend your tourist money to visit true elephant sanctuaries, like Elephant Nature Park about an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Patara in Chiang Mai is a good place. Any activity the group feels may cause pain or bring harm to the elephant walking a tightrope, riding a bicycle, or doing headstands, for instancehas been prohibited. In the wild they almost always run in packs. Here it is: An elephant is a big, strong animal which can kill you easily. possibly by accident. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. What syntax could be used to implement both an exponentiation operator and XOR? Regardless of how the new generation of trekking elephants arrive to their places of employment, the must endure the torturous domestication process to make them safe to be around tourists.
Sacrificing the act of riding an elephant today, will save the lives of elephants in the future. This is the act of breaking a young elephants spirit.
I respect your message and think that "riding" elephants in most of the tourist traps that offer it is loathsome. This is the problem with the anti riding brigade they only selectively see what supports their attitude.
You can argue all you want as A.Omar points out, but in the end over population and stress on resources is the ultimate problem and until someone figures that out elephants surviving into the near future is in peril.
And it is absolute false to say all elephants are tortured etc, but hey it brings in the big bucks (one place brings in 5,000 to 9,000 dollars a day!) WebAfter bathing your Elephant the your group will have a ton of fun slashing around before riding back up to the vans to go home. It isnt safe for humans to make direct contact with elephantsgetting too close can be deadly. Excessive weight on the elephants back can cause severe damage over time. Before anyone says we shouldn't be training wild animals at all, I'll note that all animals including horses, cows, birds, even your house cat and dog are descended from wild animals. A baby elephant is called a calf. Elephants may be enormous, but they have not been bred to be ridden. The breaking period is torture and it's done to animals that are endangered. Thinking like a victim and continuing to hurt animals is cave man thinking. I know who you are. But to generalize that this is necessarily so sounds like overstatement. Firstly - just because you're willing to grant that it's not necessary to hurt horses in orded to train them, doesn't mean that elephants are not tortured. In moonlight, horses can see as well as humans do in the sunlight. The Travel Sustainability Conferences Changing the World, How Traveling Cheaply Can Also Be Good for the Planet, Destination Zero Waste the Places Defining Better Lives. Any information published by Cond Nast Traveler is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Urge Travel Companies to Stop Promoting Cruel Elephant Rides. Is it good if a recruiter calls you after interview? Any camp worth its salt will be happy to answer questions. here https://www.letsdiskuss.com/what-is-the-biggest-cruelty-of-human-beings-towards-other-animals. A baby elephant should suckle for 2 years so many of them die at an early age from malnutrition because they are unable to drink the mothers milk. You're free to do whatever you want, but trusting what you saw on TV without doing any additional research is incredibly ignorant and simple-minded. Have Experience With Lions, Tigers, and Bears (Oh My!)? Not bad for 3 weeks work. Just watching the elephants at this sanctuary brought more happiness to me than riding a "slave". An elephant can carry up to 25%2 of its body weight without causing any discomfort or pressure to its body or spine. i think you're maligning quite a lot of decent people along with those who are less honorable. To all humans, please stop expantions, no more houses, no trip, no internet and let's stay together with animals, in the junggle. Please - support sanctuaries, work to ban ivory trade, trophy hunting there are many ways to show love for elephants. Thank you! Programs like the Surin Project in the Surin Provence of Thailand works to improve the living conditions of the captive elephants by providing economic sustainability for their owners through responsible volunteer tourism. So, it does exist and it is an option for them to earn money.
VAL: As you were disappointed with this article, I was saddened by your response. It depends on how they were trained. Just go to Elephant Nature Park and enjoy watching these wonderful creatures, learn their histories, appreciate it all. Bug bites that make them incredibly itchy. The results found that the welfare standards in most elephant venues that were assessed in Southeast Asia was quite poor, says Intrepid Groups Responsible Business Manager, Liz Manning. Because public awareness of cruelty to captive elephants has increased, many attractions are trying to dupe tourists by adding words such as sanctuary, rescue center, refuge, and retirement facility to their names. We thus infer that elephants are capable of experiencing pain as are humans. $$$ and government turning a blind eye because we're in a recession. This dream might also be a sign of overcoming and solving some big issue in your real life. That kind of money allows the poaching of even more young elephants in the wild a practice that sees entire herds being wiped out. Look at her here: https://www.facebook.com/FreeMali. An easy way to see the damage that can be done to these animals If that won't sway you not much will. Does It Hurt An Elephant To Break A Tusk? The so called people need to make a living. Do you?
I never said riding an elephant wasnt a nice experience, although many people I know who have ridden them have reported it being uncomfortable. Taken from the wild at a young age, elephants used for rides have endured a lifetime of cruelty. that assumption is false, people think of themselves. ELEPHANTS are not fazed by dynamite explosions, but change their behaviour significantly to avoid humans. For thousands of years, we had captive elephants because there was a need for them, Roberts says. Warning: It is VERY graphic. Absurd.
I will ride a majestic elephant through the jungle in November. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To all nay-sayers:
I haven't read all the comments above to know if this has already been mentioned but for a more Hollywood approach to putting you off elephant rides or tricks for good, try "Water for Elephants." The author thinks that surely all elephants have been tortured in order to achieve compliance, but he also is totally willing to grant that in the training of horses that's not required at all."). Funny Elephant Complains Meme Image. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. At night the elephants sleep in stables. Give it a couple more generations and elephant tourism could phase itself out, but its not going to happen overnight, and thats why the ACEWG was founded: to better the lives of the elephants currently working in trekking camps and to debate how to break what Roberts calls this self-perpetuating cycle of purchasing, training, breeding, and keeping elephants in captivity. To boil the issue down to a single questionTo ride or not to ride?misses the bigger picture; its like stamping out an ember when the whole house is on fire. The 13 adult elephants Sebekwe, Mnuyati, Nfuli, Joe, Jim, Setombe, Semopane, Tokwe, Lundi, Fishan, Bubu, Dande and Jabulani take guests out on daily excursions to the bush. You could argue that, I suppose. But that does not mean the care of the elephants is sacrificed in any way! But, before I share that, let me say this -- I have worked with and am still working with elephants. But it does not follow that every trainer is inhumane, or that they all use hooks and electric prods. It was a beautiful sight and an experience I won't soon forget. They need to make people think the situation is a lot worse than it is in order to keep people sending in money. They do it because they have been taught if they do not they will be put through inhumane and terrible pain and suffering. Your article was so awakening for me. The arguments are all researched and valid. Why does she deserve this?
. Skeptics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for scientific skepticism. And it is also a poor reality that they cannot simply be kept alive in an elephant camp/village that does not have any money to support the elephants. rev2023.7.3.43523. Is that not animal cruelty?? Many of the elephants that are giving rides to people have tested positive for this disease. However, I worked at an elephant sanctuary in srilanka for 9 months called the millennium elephant foundation. Be an artist, writer, politician, designer, etc. PETA Leads the Charge: Inside the Global Effort to Take Down Exotic Skins, PETAs Years-Long Legal Battle Over Lolita the Orca Finally Wraps as Plans for Her Release Come to Fruition, Why San Antonio Aquarium Keeps Racking Up USDA Citations. It's a real shame that some people (Nick, Val - comments below, and others) refuse to acknowledge that it is us that put the elephants in this position in the first place. "Rides" are not a part of elephant welfare. I just couldn't be sure and you know what, I don't think I had any less of a vacation.
. The benches alone weigh 200 pounds, then you pile people on top. These elephants, at some point, were NOT domestic. Currently, French Jeanne Calment holds the record for the oldest human being,who died at the age of 122 years in 1997. You don't necessarily have to cross this off your bucket list. Many travelers have reported seeingelephants swaying, pacing and bobbing their heads at trekking camps signs of serious psychological stress. In Thailand, it is through the Phajaan. WebAsian elephants are an endangered species. And neither do I. Patara Elephant Farm, located 30 minutes from Chiang Mai, Thailand, is the exception. should i assume that all germans are the same? Guests are invited to join mahouts and veterinary specialists on long walks in the jungle and are permitted to sit on the neck of an elephant, sans saddle, with their feet behind its earsa vantage point that Roberts believes is more educational because its the same position assumed by a mahout. Places like MEF do so much good for sick and mistreated elephants and needs the money from the tourism to continue running. What Can You Do To Help Save Our Planet's Coral Reefs? The selfishness of humans - tourists to want to "ride" an elephant needs to be addressed. A two-year-old elephant calf that can ride a bicycle and dance can be worth as much as 20,000. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. It's an excellent question, and one I honestly had not even remotely considered when planning my upcoming trip to Thailand. I also respect that the author personally responded to individual comments here, as many writers would never bother to do that. That's like saying that just because I treat my dog well, my neighbour doesn't watch television. In Vietnam,Yok Don National Park has stopped offering elephant rides, instead encouraging travelers tosimply observe elephants in their natural habitat. There's a bigger picture to elephant tourism & riding than is being presented here. Will defiantly be crossing this off the list and telling people we meet along the way to do the same thing. I know that some of these animals are treated better than a lot of people's children and putting a saddle on them and riding them is not torcher. you live in the real world so face reality. So whats a conscientious traveler to do? He believes there is some cruelty, but mainly elephants are well treated and not abused. There are, however, a multitude of softer points on an elephant, and I am aware that some mahouts use these pressure points to train the elephants, which does seem rather unfair.
On the whole though, I think many elephants are actually pretty decently treated in comparison to other animals.
All in all, I think the article is great in creating an awareness of the situation. Their venom is not the most potent among venomous snakes, but the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single biteup to two-tenths of a fluid ounceis enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant. Other trained elephants go into the illegal logging trade, which is perhaps the worst fate for an Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement. Horses are generally strong enough to carry more than 300 pounds on their back, pull a load three times their weight, and bite with a force as heavy as 500 pounds per square inch. Plus, the dog is domesticated. Whether you choose to believe this "generalization" or FACT is up to you. Rust smart contracts? What about fox hunting on horseback? It is a poor reality, but these creatures living in captivity could not live and survive in the wild. Calves stay close to their mothers. "elephants don't care. Your racial argument makes no sense. There are When they arent working, the animals are usually kept in sheds or shacksoften with concrete floors that damage their legsand theyre bound by chains that can be so tight they can barely move. Is there always a bowl of water at the ready? Apart from that, several remarks and comments above regarding saddles and howdahs, neither reflect any expertise or personal reference, its just repeating what someone told them. To boil the issue down to a single questionTo ride or not to ride?misses the bigger picture; its like stamping out an ember when the whole house is on fire. Even I wasn't aware of that. In addition to wearing down the delicate tissue and bones on an elephant's back, the chairs can also damage the skin and cause painful lesions on the elephant's body, according to Buckley. I can add to the endorsements for Patara Elephant Farm. On the other hand, if the elephants are swimming in the water, it represents elegance and wisdom. Great examples of this are at the two parks I mentioned in the article. The zoo I work at offers elephant rides and it is not as terrible as this article makes it out to be. they don't care about being hit with bullhooks and being made to walk all friggen day with people on their backs. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Wow. It's a refuge for abused and injured elephants, and they let you wash them in the river and feed them. It is the most depressing memory in my long list of boomer travel adventures. Who shot them, when and where? If you recurrently see this dream, good days are ahead of you. IT. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. However, this is false. Non-anarchists often say the existence of prisons deters violent crime. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These bony protrusions and the tissue that protects them are vulnerable to weight and pressure from above. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. This wasn't made to attack ethical flaws. Perhaps it wasnt the best example, but I think readers get the point. Quarrels between three-ton beasts can be fatal. It came up in a conversation with an elephant advocate who explained it to me like that, and I thought it fit well. Elephants have weak spines that are not designed to carry any significant weight. Myself, the author of this article and many others would like to believe that we now live in an age where issues such as how we develop, how we treat animals, ecosystems, environments etc. Being an animal lover I think it is important for all of us not to hurt them in any intention. If they don't exist, clearly there is a unique business opportunity in Thailand to provide them.
The whole too much weight argument is ridiculous and could be applied to all animals. As the author suggests, we can visit elephants and spend time with them without subjecting them to torment. And keeping dogs as pets (many people own more than one) has no relevance in the argument about elephants being social animals. However, this is false. Elephants used for rides are typically available to give rides all day, every day. In some estimates, 1 out of every 10 elephants carries the disease. This clunky contraption rubs on their backs, causing blisters that can become infected. It only takes a minute to sign up. @Maxim They make saddles for elephants, assuming a correct saddle is used both the elephants spine and the riders backside should be protected. I took my girl horseback riding 2 years ago and she was the happiest I've ever seen. Trainers and tourists alike simply haven't cared about their suffering. Albert Einstein wrote, Everybody is a genius. If the dream is about riding an elephant for war, its a warning that you should be cautious of possible conflicts. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I travel to every country to see the animals of that country and have plans of going to Thailand in May and ride the elephants as it was on my bucket list. About 400000B is paid in commissions and bribes and the elephant was sold for about 900000B. For us it was a life-changing experience that made us want to advocate further for all animals, not just elephants. watch sharkwater. Chitwan National Park uses elephants for two parts of its tourism industry: elephant safaris to see a one-horned rhino, and elephant baths. Some of the ignorant comments left here are as depressing as the topic at hand. (Same with Zoos and circuses) The elephants who are used for tourism are still essentially "wild" in nature despite hundreds of years of use by humans they have not domesticated. I`m gonna show him this article so he believes me. Gear of the logging elephant needs careful designing to avoid injuries .http://www.elephantcare.org/manheal.htm
The bottom line is this: I understand people will disagree with this, will argue their points, but the truth of the matter is these elephants have been abused in order to delight people. This article is very misleading. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In Chitwan National Park tourist are mostly involving in activities in which elephants play an important role. Is riding an elephant bad for its back? She even gave you links earlier in the comments. According to some, elephants are afraid of mice, because they fear that mice will crawl up their trunks. America does, Europe does, and more and more people are urging places to stop this because of the research which has been unearthed and the cruel practices which occur to break the elephant. Something has to pay their way and that something, for now anyway, is still tourism. We are mostly unaware about the cruelty to animals for food. These are the last cowboys.. Elephants running away or scattering was considered bad luck. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So camps that were doing good things, like allowing elephants to give rides just three or four hours a day and spending the rest of the time up in a forest, are going out of business. Is eating cloven-hoofed animals, bottom-feeders or ruminants bad for you? The elephants are treated very well & they only open their gates to a handful of tourists a day, in fact there are more elephants than there are people. Hardly strenuous considering that the average weight of a womans handbag is between 2.35 and 10kg! Of course these animals are abused in private or else it would be very difficult to make a penny off of the tourists. Do dogs know when they are separated from their parents? They just wanted to have a good time. Why heat milk and use it to temper eggs instead of mixing cold milk and eggs and slowly cooking the whole thing? A sanctuary is defined as a place of refuge or asylum. You might want to spend a little time at Maesi Elephant Camp outside of Chiang Mai. To say that elephants in captivity are not given enough water is stupid! However, I mostly disagree with the message this blog provides and its reasons.
Most of the reasons for why I think this blog is wrong have already been discussed in other comments. But this doesn't have to be a purely one way relationship - there are ways to achieve some of these things that can benefit the animals as well as us. Just because we ride horses (and I'm not saying it's right or wrong) has no bearing on whether or not we should be riding elephants. Many, many elephants have lots of scarring on their foreheads from the use of bullhooks.
As to your other references as regards to dogs and horses.the article is not about dogs and horses. Leave all wild animals in the wild ..carole Buckley is in Nepal teaching mahouts positive loving methods no chains no bullhooks no riding them
. The evolving criteria provide managers of trekking camps with science-based guidelines for humane elephant care. I'd love to ride one too. How can one tell if an elephant has been "broken" by the horrific abuse of the "Phajaan" therefe performs for fear of the bullhook, fears the mahout and acts in self preservation to avoid such terror and pain again or has been trained with love and treats (and if people think training with love and treats is the norm then it is a sad fantasy that serves only to reassure those who want to take advantage of an elephant, eh? You might see many articles that say riding elephants does not hurt the elephants. Bullshit they are nothing more than animal abusers. In response, many operators now advertise no riding camps where you can visit elephants to touch, bathe, and even feed them, but not ride on their backs. But just maybe Patara knows what they're doing. Since there are so few elephants left in the wild in Thailand they are now captured in Burma and smuggled into the country where they are given a fake microchip and paperwork. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. It is neither right or wrong. Elephants are a lot like humans. Is elephant Ride cruel? At the same time, people who do care about animal welfare are avoiding elephant riding altogether because theyve been told its a bad idea. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This practice is condemned by a variety of animal-welfare groups as a form of animal cruelty. For thousands of years, we had captive elephants because there was a need for them, Roberts says.
The 50 pound backpack analogy tells us everything we need to know about this author's journalistic integrity. Horses have excellent night vision, and on a night lit by a partial moon or by bright stars alone, normally sighted horses can see as well as you do in full daylight. Sitting atop its back as the giant animal slowly meandersalong a white sand beach, orthrough rushing streams in the thick of the jungle. If an elephant 'sanctuary'or wildlife park offers elephant riding, circuses orpainting shows, you can be certainthe elephants have undergone horrific abuse to get them to where they are. In some estimates, 1 out of every 10 elephants carries the disease. However, the reality is that the majestic and typically docile elephant wins the prize for the worlds strongest mammal. How many of us feels sorry for the poor abused elephants and at the same time enjoying nice steak or chicken for the dinner. How can I change my partners mind about elephant cruelty in tourism? Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The elephant wants to avoid pain, so it does what it's been conditioned to do. WebTales of Ancient Indian culture describes the use of Elephants as vehicles for warriors riding into battle. gross. You might say that this is idealistic - without such development we wouldn't live in the world we live in today. Once again, I would like to address the people who have questioned not only the information, but also my integrity.
First, Ewa Narkiewicz to answer your questions:
The video I watched came from an undercover investigation from a Thai woman. These creatures are so abused. Discussion is a good thing. But then, I read some articles in PETAAsiaPacific.com, and I noticed that Mali is in fact sad and lonely! Although I could write on endlessly with how much I agree with all of these points, I will keep my comment brief.
Regardless of how elephants are treated in trekking camps today, I believe it to be selfish to only consider the present. I've no doubt they are abused in many parts of the world especially In Asia, but come on. I dont know if I would describe it as a master-servant dichotomy. Its like being the owner of any animal I dont and would NEVER harm animals I own. Let me know if there is a place where we can send the complaints.
There is so much beauty in Thailand and the people were so amazing this was the only thing that was completely out of balance with the rest of the travel experience. I hope that if you're inspired to write similar articles in the future, you will invest some time to do proper research instead of relying solely on animal welfare groups as your source of information. It implies that all elephant trainers use inhumane methods, which simply is not true, and it's actually defamatory to imply that it is true. Elephants in the wild get their love and attention and support from their family group. No, I haven't either, but common sense dictates that cruel treatment is likely to be more common than kind - simply because of what I said earlier - previously, this is been the norm due to the prevalence of a different moral code regarding the treatment of animals. If not boycott elephant rides, circuses and other animal torture. My visit to the elephant nature park in Chiangmai really opened my eyes. I went on an elephant rude in Laos, it was at an elephant protection centre, instead of sitting on the howdah we just sit on the elephant. That's a profit of about 500000B ($15 000). An elephant may also get back-injuries is its gadela(mattress) is not of proper specification or not suitably tied. let them be. They are extremely intelligent, sensitive, and loving. WebA dream about riding an elephant is a very good sign. The weight on the back is actually a big problem. Does It Hurt An Elephant To Ride Them? This is a volunteer-based organization, you can volunteer for a week at a time, or just visit for the day, hang out w/elephants, bath them, feed them, get a delicious lunch. out there to fight it. The majestic and intelligent creatures have been used for logging, in ceremonial celebrations, as royal status symbols, and as vehicles of war. I'm a big animal lover as many of us are, and I'm definitely going to do a lot more research on this, but for the author to say that "every elephant in captivity has been abused at some point" seems a little dramatic. Check it out online if you still doubt.
By the way, asking questions is a good idea, but just remember that they are tourist-savvy
and will tell you exactly what you want to hear. Especially the way they use it.
Many other things to do in Thailand. Sand helps dry and warm their skin in the cooler months, while mud helps to keep them cool in the hotter months.
is riding an elephant bad for its backtell me how you handled a difficult situation example
My entertainment is not worth the suffering these animals have to endure. Institutional email for mathematical organization. Organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and World Animal Protection have mounted influential media campaigns denouncing riding, where they show elephants as young as 18 to 24 months old being chained up and beaten with bullhooks. If you still believe that the person who wrote the article has any credibility, and refuse to believe the facts such as successful elephant births to refute the anti elephant propaganda, let me use simple mathematics to prove some of information to be wrong. Why should those mahouts and elephants be punished?
The animals are well cared for, fed and live in a family group. Does riding elephants hurt back? Mahouts have been looking after elephants longer than Christianity and Islam have existed, Roberts notes. What Can You Do if You Don't Want to Ride Elephants? Elephants spines cannot support the weight of people and doing so all day can lead to permanent spinal injuries. Tourism is not a need for captive elephants; its a thing to do with captive elephants to help them eat. Put your tourist dollars where they
will do the most good, and skip the trekking camps. Dont be put off by all elephant riding places, just do your research before hand! I have a response to Natalie:
In regards to the toughness of elephant skin - yes, it is thick, but it is incredibly sensitive and packed with nerves. There are further complications from having a chair (howdah) attached to their backs. Their mission is to protect & care for mistreated elephants rescued from the tourism and logging industries. She's seen the abuse the babies go through. Like other posters, I personally visited Patara Elephant Farm last year and saw none of the awful practices detailed in this article. The people doing the training are not gentle whatsoever with the bullhook and there are videos showing the Pajaan training and how violent it really is. Spend your tourist money to visit true elephant sanctuaries, like Elephant Nature Park about an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Patara in Chiang Mai is a good place. Any activity the group feels may cause pain or bring harm to the elephant walking a tightrope, riding a bicycle, or doing headstands, for instancehas been prohibited. In the wild they almost always run in packs. Here it is: An elephant is a big, strong animal which can kill you easily. possibly by accident. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. What syntax could be used to implement both an exponentiation operator and XOR? Regardless of how the new generation of trekking elephants arrive to their places of employment, the must endure the torturous domestication process to make them safe to be around tourists.
Sacrificing the act of riding an elephant today, will save the lives of elephants in the future. This is the act of breaking a young elephants spirit.
I respect your message and think that "riding" elephants in most of the tourist traps that offer it is loathsome. This is the problem with the anti riding brigade they only selectively see what supports their attitude.
You can argue all you want as A.Omar points out, but in the end over population and stress on resources is the ultimate problem and until someone figures that out elephants surviving into the near future is in peril.
And it is absolute false to say all elephants are tortured etc, but hey it brings in the big bucks (one place brings in 5,000 to 9,000 dollars a day!) WebAfter bathing your Elephant the your group will have a ton of fun slashing around before riding back up to the vans to go home. It isnt safe for humans to make direct contact with elephantsgetting too close can be deadly. Excessive weight on the elephants back can cause severe damage over time. Before anyone says we shouldn't be training wild animals at all, I'll note that all animals including horses, cows, birds, even your house cat and dog are descended from wild animals. A baby elephant is called a calf. Elephants may be enormous, but they have not been bred to be ridden. The breaking period is torture and it's done to animals that are endangered. Thinking like a victim and continuing to hurt animals is cave man thinking. I know who you are. But to generalize that this is necessarily so sounds like overstatement. Firstly - just because you're willing to grant that it's not necessary to hurt horses in orded to train them, doesn't mean that elephants are not tortured. In moonlight, horses can see as well as humans do in the sunlight. The Travel Sustainability Conferences Changing the World, How Traveling Cheaply Can Also Be Good for the Planet, Destination Zero Waste the Places Defining Better Lives. Any information published by Cond Nast Traveler is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Urge Travel Companies to Stop Promoting Cruel Elephant Rides. Is it good if a recruiter calls you after interview? Any camp worth its salt will be happy to answer questions. here https://www.letsdiskuss.com/what-is-the-biggest-cruelty-of-human-beings-towards-other-animals. A baby elephant should suckle for 2 years so many of them die at an early age from malnutrition because they are unable to drink the mothers milk. You're free to do whatever you want, but trusting what you saw on TV without doing any additional research is incredibly ignorant and simple-minded. Have Experience With Lions, Tigers, and Bears (Oh My!)? Not bad for 3 weeks work. Just watching the elephants at this sanctuary brought more happiness to me than riding a "slave". An elephant can carry up to 25%2 of its body weight without causing any discomfort or pressure to its body or spine. i think you're maligning quite a lot of decent people along with those who are less honorable. To all humans, please stop expantions, no more houses, no trip, no internet and let's stay together with animals, in the junggle. Please - support sanctuaries, work to ban ivory trade, trophy hunting there are many ways to show love for elephants. Thank you! Programs like the Surin Project in the Surin Provence of Thailand works to improve the living conditions of the captive elephants by providing economic sustainability for their owners through responsible volunteer tourism. So, it does exist and it is an option for them to earn money.
VAL: As you were disappointed with this article, I was saddened by your response. It depends on how they were trained. Just go to Elephant Nature Park and enjoy watching these wonderful creatures, learn their histories, appreciate it all. Bug bites that make them incredibly itchy. The results found that the welfare standards in most elephant venues that were assessed in Southeast Asia was quite poor, says Intrepid Groups Responsible Business Manager, Liz Manning. Because public awareness of cruelty to captive elephants has increased, many attractions are trying to dupe tourists by adding words such as sanctuary, rescue center, refuge, and retirement facility to their names. We thus infer that elephants are capable of experiencing pain as are humans. $$$ and government turning a blind eye because we're in a recession. This dream might also be a sign of overcoming and solving some big issue in your real life. That kind of money allows the poaching of even more young elephants in the wild a practice that sees entire herds being wiped out. Look at her here: https://www.facebook.com/FreeMali. An easy way to see the damage that can be done to these animals If that won't sway you not much will. Does It Hurt An Elephant To Break A Tusk? The so called people need to make a living. Do you?
I never said riding an elephant wasnt a nice experience, although many people I know who have ridden them have reported it being uncomfortable. Taken from the wild at a young age, elephants used for rides have endured a lifetime of cruelty. that assumption is false, people think of themselves. ELEPHANTS are not fazed by dynamite explosions, but change their behaviour significantly to avoid humans. For thousands of years, we had captive elephants because there was a need for them, Roberts says. Warning: It is VERY graphic. Absurd.
I will ride a majestic elephant through the jungle in November. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To all nay-sayers:
I haven't read all the comments above to know if this has already been mentioned but for a more Hollywood approach to putting you off elephant rides or tricks for good, try "Water for Elephants." The author thinks that surely all elephants have been tortured in order to achieve compliance, but he also is totally willing to grant that in the training of horses that's not required at all."). Funny Elephant Complains Meme Image. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. At night the elephants sleep in stables. Give it a couple more generations and elephant tourism could phase itself out, but its not going to happen overnight, and thats why the ACEWG was founded: to better the lives of the elephants currently working in trekking camps and to debate how to break what Roberts calls this self-perpetuating cycle of purchasing, training, breeding, and keeping elephants in captivity. To boil the issue down to a single questionTo ride or not to ride?misses the bigger picture; its like stamping out an ember when the whole house is on fire. The 13 adult elephants Sebekwe, Mnuyati, Nfuli, Joe, Jim, Setombe, Semopane, Tokwe, Lundi, Fishan, Bubu, Dande and Jabulani take guests out on daily excursions to the bush. You could argue that, I suppose. But that does not mean the care of the elephants is sacrificed in any way! But, before I share that, let me say this -- I have worked with and am still working with elephants. But it does not follow that every trainer is inhumane, or that they all use hooks and electric prods. It was a beautiful sight and an experience I won't soon forget. They need to make people think the situation is a lot worse than it is in order to keep people sending in money. They do it because they have been taught if they do not they will be put through inhumane and terrible pain and suffering. Your article was so awakening for me. The arguments are all researched and valid. Why does she deserve this?
. Skeptics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for scientific skepticism. And it is also a poor reality that they cannot simply be kept alive in an elephant camp/village that does not have any money to support the elephants. rev2023.7.3.43523. Is that not animal cruelty?? Many of the elephants that are giving rides to people have tested positive for this disease. However, I worked at an elephant sanctuary in srilanka for 9 months called the millennium elephant foundation. Be an artist, writer, politician, designer, etc. PETA Leads the Charge: Inside the Global Effort to Take Down Exotic Skins, PETAs Years-Long Legal Battle Over Lolita the Orca Finally Wraps as Plans for Her Release Come to Fruition, Why San Antonio Aquarium Keeps Racking Up USDA Citations. It's a real shame that some people (Nick, Val - comments below, and others) refuse to acknowledge that it is us that put the elephants in this position in the first place. "Rides" are not a part of elephant welfare. I just couldn't be sure and you know what, I don't think I had any less of a vacation.
. The benches alone weigh 200 pounds, then you pile people on top. These elephants, at some point, were NOT domestic. Currently, French Jeanne Calment holds the record for the oldest human being,who died at the age of 122 years in 1997. You don't necessarily have to cross this off your bucket list. Many travelers have reported seeingelephants swaying, pacing and bobbing their heads at trekking camps signs of serious psychological stress. In Thailand, it is through the Phajaan. WebAsian elephants are an endangered species. And neither do I. Patara Elephant Farm, located 30 minutes from Chiang Mai, Thailand, is the exception. should i assume that all germans are the same? Guests are invited to join mahouts and veterinary specialists on long walks in the jungle and are permitted to sit on the neck of an elephant, sans saddle, with their feet behind its earsa vantage point that Roberts believes is more educational because its the same position assumed by a mahout. Places like MEF do so much good for sick and mistreated elephants and needs the money from the tourism to continue running. What Can You Do To Help Save Our Planet's Coral Reefs? The selfishness of humans - tourists to want to "ride" an elephant needs to be addressed. A two-year-old elephant calf that can ride a bicycle and dance can be worth as much as 20,000. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. It's an excellent question, and one I honestly had not even remotely considered when planning my upcoming trip to Thailand. I also respect that the author personally responded to individual comments here, as many writers would never bother to do that. That's like saying that just because I treat my dog well, my neighbour doesn't watch television. In Vietnam,Yok Don National Park has stopped offering elephant rides, instead encouraging travelers tosimply observe elephants in their natural habitat. There's a bigger picture to elephant tourism & riding than is being presented here. Will defiantly be crossing this off the list and telling people we meet along the way to do the same thing. I know that some of these animals are treated better than a lot of people's children and putting a saddle on them and riding them is not torcher. you live in the real world so face reality. So whats a conscientious traveler to do? He believes there is some cruelty, but mainly elephants are well treated and not abused. There are, however, a multitude of softer points on an elephant, and I am aware that some mahouts use these pressure points to train the elephants, which does seem rather unfair.
On the whole though, I think many elephants are actually pretty decently treated in comparison to other animals.
All in all, I think the article is great in creating an awareness of the situation. Their venom is not the most potent among venomous snakes, but the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single biteup to two-tenths of a fluid ounceis enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant. Other trained elephants go into the illegal logging trade, which is perhaps the worst fate for an Elephant crushing, or a training crush, is a method by which wild elephants can be tamed for domestication, using restriction in a cage, sometimes with the use of corporal punishment or negative reinforcement. Horses are generally strong enough to carry more than 300 pounds on their back, pull a load three times their weight, and bite with a force as heavy as 500 pounds per square inch. Plus, the dog is domesticated. Whether you choose to believe this "generalization" or FACT is up to you. Rust smart contracts? What about fox hunting on horseback? It is a poor reality, but these creatures living in captivity could not live and survive in the wild. Calves stay close to their mothers. "elephants don't care. Your racial argument makes no sense. There are When they arent working, the animals are usually kept in sheds or shacksoften with concrete floors that damage their legsand theyre bound by chains that can be so tight they can barely move. Is there always a bowl of water at the ready? Apart from that, several remarks and comments above regarding saddles and howdahs, neither reflect any expertise or personal reference, its just repeating what someone told them. To boil the issue down to a single questionTo ride or not to ride?misses the bigger picture; its like stamping out an ember when the whole house is on fire. Even I wasn't aware of that. In addition to wearing down the delicate tissue and bones on an elephant's back, the chairs can also damage the skin and cause painful lesions on the elephant's body, according to Buckley. I can add to the endorsements for Patara Elephant Farm. On the other hand, if the elephants are swimming in the water, it represents elegance and wisdom. Great examples of this are at the two parks I mentioned in the article. The zoo I work at offers elephant rides and it is not as terrible as this article makes it out to be. they don't care about being hit with bullhooks and being made to walk all friggen day with people on their backs. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Wow. It's a refuge for abused and injured elephants, and they let you wash them in the river and feed them. It is the most depressing memory in my long list of boomer travel adventures. Who shot them, when and where? If you recurrently see this dream, good days are ahead of you. IT. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. However, this is false. Non-anarchists often say the existence of prisons deters violent crime. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These bony protrusions and the tissue that protects them are vulnerable to weight and pressure from above. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. This wasn't made to attack ethical flaws. Perhaps it wasnt the best example, but I think readers get the point. Quarrels between three-ton beasts can be fatal. It came up in a conversation with an elephant advocate who explained it to me like that, and I thought it fit well. Elephants have weak spines that are not designed to carry any significant weight. Myself, the author of this article and many others would like to believe that we now live in an age where issues such as how we develop, how we treat animals, ecosystems, environments etc. Being an animal lover I think it is important for all of us not to hurt them in any intention. If they don't exist, clearly there is a unique business opportunity in Thailand to provide them.
The whole too much weight argument is ridiculous and could be applied to all animals. As the author suggests, we can visit elephants and spend time with them without subjecting them to torment. And keeping dogs as pets (many people own more than one) has no relevance in the argument about elephants being social animals. However, this is false. Elephants used for rides are typically available to give rides all day, every day. In some estimates, 1 out of every 10 elephants carries the disease. This clunky contraption rubs on their backs, causing blisters that can become infected. It only takes a minute to sign up. @Maxim They make saddles for elephants, assuming a correct saddle is used both the elephants spine and the riders backside should be protected. I took my girl horseback riding 2 years ago and she was the happiest I've ever seen. Trainers and tourists alike simply haven't cared about their suffering. Albert Einstein wrote, Everybody is a genius. If the dream is about riding an elephant for war, its a warning that you should be cautious of possible conflicts. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I travel to every country to see the animals of that country and have plans of going to Thailand in May and ride the elephants as it was on my bucket list. About 400000B is paid in commissions and bribes and the elephant was sold for about 900000B. For us it was a life-changing experience that made us want to advocate further for all animals, not just elephants. watch sharkwater. Chitwan National Park uses elephants for two parts of its tourism industry: elephant safaris to see a one-horned rhino, and elephant baths. Some of the ignorant comments left here are as depressing as the topic at hand. (Same with Zoos and circuses) The elephants who are used for tourism are still essentially "wild" in nature despite hundreds of years of use by humans they have not domesticated. I`m gonna show him this article so he believes me. Gear of the logging elephant needs careful designing to avoid injuries .http://www.elephantcare.org/manheal.htm
The bottom line is this: I understand people will disagree with this, will argue their points, but the truth of the matter is these elephants have been abused in order to delight people. This article is very misleading. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In Chitwan National Park tourist are mostly involving in activities in which elephants play an important role. Is riding an elephant bad for its back? She even gave you links earlier in the comments. According to some, elephants are afraid of mice, because they fear that mice will crawl up their trunks. America does, Europe does, and more and more people are urging places to stop this because of the research which has been unearthed and the cruel practices which occur to break the elephant. Something has to pay their way and that something, for now anyway, is still tourism. We are mostly unaware about the cruelty to animals for food. These are the last cowboys.. Elephants running away or scattering was considered bad luck. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So camps that were doing good things, like allowing elephants to give rides just three or four hours a day and spending the rest of the time up in a forest, are going out of business. Is eating cloven-hoofed animals, bottom-feeders or ruminants bad for you? The elephants are treated very well & they only open their gates to a handful of tourists a day, in fact there are more elephants than there are people. Hardly strenuous considering that the average weight of a womans handbag is between 2.35 and 10kg! Of course these animals are abused in private or else it would be very difficult to make a penny off of the tourists. Do dogs know when they are separated from their parents? They just wanted to have a good time. Why heat milk and use it to temper eggs instead of mixing cold milk and eggs and slowly cooking the whole thing? A sanctuary is defined as a place of refuge or asylum. You might want to spend a little time at Maesi Elephant Camp outside of Chiang Mai. To say that elephants in captivity are not given enough water is stupid! However, I mostly disagree with the message this blog provides and its reasons.
Most of the reasons for why I think this blog is wrong have already been discussed in other comments. But this doesn't have to be a purely one way relationship - there are ways to achieve some of these things that can benefit the animals as well as us. Just because we ride horses (and I'm not saying it's right or wrong) has no bearing on whether or not we should be riding elephants. Many, many elephants have lots of scarring on their foreheads from the use of bullhooks.
As to your other references as regards to dogs and horses.the article is not about dogs and horses. Leave all wild animals in the wild ..carole Buckley is in Nepal teaching mahouts positive loving methods no chains no bullhooks no riding them
. The evolving criteria provide managers of trekking camps with science-based guidelines for humane elephant care. I'd love to ride one too. How can one tell if an elephant has been "broken" by the horrific abuse of the "Phajaan" therefe performs for fear of the bullhook, fears the mahout and acts in self preservation to avoid such terror and pain again or has been trained with love and treats (and if people think training with love and treats is the norm then it is a sad fantasy that serves only to reassure those who want to take advantage of an elephant, eh? You might see many articles that say riding elephants does not hurt the elephants. Bullshit they are nothing more than animal abusers. In response, many operators now advertise no riding camps where you can visit elephants to touch, bathe, and even feed them, but not ride on their backs. But just maybe Patara knows what they're doing. Since there are so few elephants left in the wild in Thailand they are now captured in Burma and smuggled into the country where they are given a fake microchip and paperwork. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. It is neither right or wrong. Elephants are a lot like humans. Is elephant Ride cruel? At the same time, people who do care about animal welfare are avoiding elephant riding altogether because theyve been told its a bad idea. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This practice is condemned by a variety of animal-welfare groups as a form of animal cruelty. For thousands of years, we had captive elephants because there was a need for them, Roberts says.
The 50 pound backpack analogy tells us everything we need to know about this author's journalistic integrity. Horses have excellent night vision, and on a night lit by a partial moon or by bright stars alone, normally sighted horses can see as well as you do in full daylight. Sitting atop its back as the giant animal slowly meandersalong a white sand beach, orthrough rushing streams in the thick of the jungle. If an elephant 'sanctuary'or wildlife park offers elephant riding, circuses orpainting shows, you can be certainthe elephants have undergone horrific abuse to get them to where they are. In some estimates, 1 out of every 10 elephants carries the disease. However, the reality is that the majestic and typically docile elephant wins the prize for the worlds strongest mammal. How many of us feels sorry for the poor abused elephants and at the same time enjoying nice steak or chicken for the dinner. How can I change my partners mind about elephant cruelty in tourism? Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The elephant wants to avoid pain, so it does what it's been conditioned to do. WebTales of Ancient Indian culture describes the use of Elephants as vehicles for warriors riding into battle. gross. You might say that this is idealistic - without such development we wouldn't live in the world we live in today. Once again, I would like to address the people who have questioned not only the information, but also my integrity.
First, Ewa Narkiewicz to answer your questions:
The video I watched came from an undercover investigation from a Thai woman. These creatures are so abused. Discussion is a good thing. But then, I read some articles in PETAAsiaPacific.com, and I noticed that Mali is in fact sad and lonely! Although I could write on endlessly with how much I agree with all of these points, I will keep my comment brief.
Regardless of how elephants are treated in trekking camps today, I believe it to be selfish to only consider the present. I've no doubt they are abused in many parts of the world especially In Asia, but come on. I dont know if I would describe it as a master-servant dichotomy. Its like being the owner of any animal I dont and would NEVER harm animals I own. Let me know if there is a place where we can send the complaints.
There is so much beauty in Thailand and the people were so amazing this was the only thing that was completely out of balance with the rest of the travel experience. I hope that if you're inspired to write similar articles in the future, you will invest some time to do proper research instead of relying solely on animal welfare groups as your source of information. It implies that all elephant trainers use inhumane methods, which simply is not true, and it's actually defamatory to imply that it is true. Elephants in the wild get their love and attention and support from their family group. No, I haven't either, but common sense dictates that cruel treatment is likely to be more common than kind - simply because of what I said earlier - previously, this is been the norm due to the prevalence of a different moral code regarding the treatment of animals. If not boycott elephant rides, circuses and other animal torture. My visit to the elephant nature park in Chiangmai really opened my eyes. I went on an elephant rude in Laos, it was at an elephant protection centre, instead of sitting on the howdah we just sit on the elephant. That's a profit of about 500000B ($15 000). An elephant may also get back-injuries is its gadela(mattress) is not of proper specification or not suitably tied. let them be. They are extremely intelligent, sensitive, and loving. WebA dream about riding an elephant is a very good sign. The weight on the back is actually a big problem. Does It Hurt An Elephant To Ride Them? This is a volunteer-based organization, you can volunteer for a week at a time, or just visit for the day, hang out w/elephants, bath them, feed them, get a delicious lunch. out there to fight it. The majestic and intelligent creatures have been used for logging, in ceremonial celebrations, as royal status symbols, and as vehicles of war. I'm a big animal lover as many of us are, and I'm definitely going to do a lot more research on this, but for the author to say that "every elephant in captivity has been abused at some point" seems a little dramatic. Check it out online if you still doubt.
By the way, asking questions is a good idea, but just remember that they are tourist-savvy
and will tell you exactly what you want to hear. Especially the way they use it.
Many other things to do in Thailand. Sand helps dry and warm their skin in the cooler months, while mud helps to keep them cool in the hotter months. What Is An Interference Pattern? Quizlet,
Articles I
