{"id":8353,"date":"2016-10-26T09:42:15","date_gmt":"2016-10-26T08:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/?p=8353"},"modified":"2025-08-14T11:58:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T18:58:50","slug":"reasons-why-you-should-never-ride-an-elephant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/reasons-why-you-should-never-ride-an-elephant\/","title":{"rendered":"WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER RIDE AN ELEPHANT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unfortunately, it\u2019s quite common that animals are abused for the sake of tourist\u2019s entertainment abroad. One of the animals that suffers the most is the elephant – a kind and friendly creature that is treated like a slave in many countries around the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even though people say that they love elephants, and that elephants are their \u201dfavorite animal,\u201d many still dream about riding one. Riding an elephant is the last thing you should do if you love and care for elephants, but for some the truth behind elephant riding and what is happening behind the curtains is not known. Animal cruelty is note always talked about in media, or taught in schools – so how can tourists know if it\u2019s wrong or not?<\/p>\n

This month, Trip Advisor<\/a> stopped selling tickets allowing contact with wild animals, a huge step in the right direction for encouraging responsible travel. With this article, I\u2019m hoping to spread more knowledge about elephant abuse and why you never should ride an elephant. Elephants are not living on this planet to work day in and day out to slave for humans – this animal cruelty has to come to an end and the more educated tourists are on these topics, the faster this change can come.<\/p>\n

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THE HORRIBLE TRUTH BEHIND THE CURTAINS <\/h3>\n

Most tourists who ride on elephants, don\u2019t see what\u2019s happening to the elephants behind closed doors. I think that if they knew, they wouldn\u2019t see elephant riding as something fun. The process and cruelty starts when the elephants are babies. They are taken away from their mother to begin the \u201dbreaking process,\u201d also known as Phajaan<\/a> (meaning crush or tear). It’s not enough to explain how Phajaan works with words. Therefore, you should watch the video below to learn about what the elephants have to go through before living life as a slave.=<\/p>\n

If you still don\u2019t understand why the humans do this; it\u2019s because they want to crush the elephant’s soul. If they break their soul, the elephants will not dare to do anything other than obey its \u201downer.\u201d If humans did not perform this breaking process, elephants would never obey their handler and let their handler abuse them, making them do hard work and entertainment.<\/p>\n

HOW PHAJAN WORKS – STEP BY STEP<\/h3>\n

– They bind their feet with ropes – then later replace these binds with chains.
\n– They force the elephants to have stretched limbs.
\n– The elephants are beaten with sharp objects.
\n– They also abuse them through shouting and cursing at them.
\n– They are mutilated by hooks that are stuck into their heads, breaking their skin and hurting their ears.
\n– This breaking process continues for several weeks, where they also starve the elephants to maximize the pain and suffering<\/p>\n

Phajaan is the most common method used towards elephants in Asia – including popular destinations such as; Thailand, Myanmar, and India.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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PLEASE REMEMBER: IF YOU RIDE ELEPHANTS – YOU SUPPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY<\/h3>\n

Many people think that elephant riding is harmless and that the elephants seem to like it – they don\u2019t. Sure, elephants are strong animals, but their spine isn\u2019t made for carrying humans, especially not people sitting in a little wooden house or seat on top of their back.<\/p>\n

Just imagine yourself carrying around a heavy backpack all day, day in and day out. The first day you would feel a small pain in your back, and after a couple of more days, your back would start to degrade. It\u2019s the same thing for elephants. Not only is the weight on their back affecting their pain – the seating for also scratches their skin and creates wounds that can get infected. Over-extending their feet is also another big problem that causes damage and infection.<\/p>\n

Please note this video contains graphic content that may be disturbing and upsetting to the viewer. Please consider this before viewing.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n