In a distressing revelation, UK-based charity Save the Asian Elephants (STAE) has reported an alarming surge in travel companies advertising holidays involving unethical animal attractions, particularly elephant rides in Thailand. This comes despite the passage of legislation over a year ago empowering ministers to ban such advertisements.
According to STAE founder Duncan McNair, a staggering 1,201 companies promoted these cruel elephant attractions to UK audiences in the first nine months of 2024 alone. McNair expects this number to surpass the record-breaking 1,220 companies that advertised in 2022, painting a grim picture of an industry unbridled by regulation.
A Law Delayed is Justice Denied
The Animal (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act, passed by Parliament in 2023, aimed to curb the promotion of unethical animal tourism. However, its implementation has been stalled, as ministers have yet to create the necessary statutory instrument listing the banned activities.
“Year on year, the picture deteriorates as ever more reckless and ruthless travel businesses pile in, unbridled by any effective regulation. The act should be implemented and robustly enforced without delay.”
– Duncan McNair, Save the Asian Elephants founder
Last week, McNair and fellow animal welfare advocates met with junior environment minister Helene Hayman to discuss expediting the advertising ban. The law, once enforced, is expected to cover a wide range of exploitative animal attractions:
- Petting zoos
- Circus performances
- Swimming with dolphins
- Trophy hunting
- Eating bush meat
- Camel racing
- Fish foot spas
The Heartbreaking Reality Behind the Ride
Most tourists remain oblivious to the harrowing abuse endured by the elephants they eagerly mount for holiday snaps. Captured as babies, these majestic creatures are brutally “broken” into submission through a process known as phajaan, or “the crush”.
Isolated, starved, and savagely beaten with rods and chains, the young elephants’ spirits are systematically destroyed to make them compliant for tourist entertainment. The scars, both physical and psychological, last a lifetime.
“They lead very despairing, lonely, sad and painful lives, and they are the ones that you will be riding on or having selfies with or watching play football. But then they’re a ticking timebomb – they go mad.”
– Duncan McNair
In a tragic incident in 2000, an elephant at the Nong Nooch tourist attraction in Thailand attacked the crowds, killing 20-year-old British trainee nurse Andrea Taylor. Her sister, Helen Costigan, decries the “horrible, unregulated” industry, noting that some 300 venues like Nong Nooch are still advertised in the UK today.
An Industry’s Ethical Imperative
The travel sector’s sluggish response raises questions about its commitment to animal welfare. Abta, the association of travel agents and tour operators, claims to “support the intent” of the legislation, having engaged with officials to share insights from its decade-long animal welfare initiatives.
However, Abta’s emphasis on linking regulatory approaches to existing accreditation schemes and ensuring “clarity for the industry” suggests a reluctance to embrace swift, decisive action. In the face of such staggering cruelty, is gradual reform truly enough?
A Moral Crossroads for Tourists and Regulators Alike
As the number of companies peddling elephant misery soars, it is clear that self-regulation has failed. The onus now falls on both the government to enforce the law and on tourists to make ethical choices.
For adventurers seeking cruelty-free experiences, resources like World Animal Protection‘s elephant-friendly tourism guide offer alternatives that prioritize the magnificent creatures’ wellbeing. By voting with our wallets and our wanderlust, we can reshape an industry that for too long has profited from suffering.
The government, meanwhile, must heed the call of advocates like Duncan McNair and Helen Costigan, who implore ministers to fulfill their promise and enact the advertising ban without delay. In doing so, the UK can set a powerful precedent on the global stage, sending an unequivocal message that animal abuse has no place in the modern tourism industry.
As we stand at this moral crossroads, the fate of countless elephants hangs in the balance. Will we continue to be complicit in their torment, or will we finally embrace our role as ethical stewards? The choice is ours, and the world is watching.
