Why Is NOT A Good Idea To Force An Elephant To Give Rides To Tourists?

Everyday, elephants has been trained by force to give people rides, and some of them has experienced lots of cruel punishments that are dangerous to them. People has been using bullhooks to hit elephants to induce pain. Some people were rushing their elephants to give tourists rides day by day without any lunch breaks. Some elephants has not been fed for a long time. And some of them has attacked their own mahouts, or keepers as a revenge. Elephants need food as energy to help them survive. People has been training elephants for many years. However; many animal activists has been investigating cases of elephants being beaten by trainers who were responsible for cruelty.

However; its possible to train elephants with painless humane training methods. But people don’t want to do this method because, it takes a longer time, and money. But if you used this form of an alternative training method; that enables you and your elephant to bond and live together. But traditional trainers were susceptible to be attacked by their own elephants. Elephants do need same care like most domestic animals need on a regular basis.

When training elephants for riding (or working animal), it takes time, and effort. Riding time must be as short as possible, and elephants need a lunch break,–just like we do. If you trained your elephant for riding slowly; it can enable to remember these basic commands overtime. Training it is also like programming a robot to do commands, or building software for your customers. All elephants don’t come with training manuals. We don’t include owner manuals either! If you were training an elephant; you are officially a trainer. Since elephants brains are so big; they can retain memory like us. If you trained your elephant via a training section with lunch breaks and recess for some years without inducing pain; the elephant itself will exchange pain-free experience to you.

Riding elephants should not be circular, but a corse that will have a starting point, and a stopping point via a station., but these elephants for riding should have a return time. If you’re NOT comfortable with training real elephants; you may need to get yourself a toy elephant to ride. But the catch is… they’re marketed to children. You may need to make a special order of a product for yourself, or your trainers. Always go for a brand-free product without any trademark/copyright/patent restrictions.

Although; many mahouts don’t have access to fake animals to start off with because, they argued over a “kiddish” product they don’t want to use. They rather choose to train real elephants as their way to learn how to train elephants… but that’s backwards! Fake elephants should go first. Since elephants need to be saved from exploitation, and abuse,–and poaching… let these endangered animals recover from the brink, and let the elephant population regenerate.

Common issues with captive elephants are people forgetting to develop new breed of domestic elephants that are easier to train and ride, build fake elephants to start off riding, and studying how elephants live in nature. Most likely our generations in Asia and Africa forgot to develop a new breed of elephants that are domesticated. But it will take more years to fully rewrite a new breed of elephants. If they did this earlier within our early generations… it should’ve been easier to ride elephants today.

What You Should Do?

If you were a new mahout in some countries; ask for a fake elephant to start off with, and alternative training methods, or make your own training methods that are painless. This starting point will help offset 1 elephant calf from being taken from their mother’s side. It may take some time for you to learn about elephants too. If you were lucky enough; some of these toy-makers will build you a robotic elephant to ride, or a simulator.

Think twice before you go on an elephant ride.

Create a petition to encourage toymakers to make adult version of these ride-on toys that are animals or characters to ride.