My most embarrassing travel memory happened in Thailand: as a young backpacker I climbed onto an elephant at a place billed as a “sanctuary,” only to discover the animals were chained and used for rides. Years later I returned determined to see whether genuinely ethical elephant care exists in the country that has long prized the species as a cultural emblem.
Seeking a different model
After reading up on rescue and rehabilitation programs I visited a well-known camp in the Golden Triangle that partners with a regional foundation for elephants. Within minutes of arriving I saw two elephants grazing freely beside the Mekong—an immediate sign this operation prioritized space and natural behaviour over spectacle.
Across Thailand there are an estimated 3,800 elephants in captivity, many kept in conditions that foster anxiety and repetitive stress behaviours. At the camp I watched a veterinarian explain how an elephant’s constant head-rolling—a nervous habit learned during prior captivity—can persist even after rescue. Treatments here aimed to reduce that stress rather than mask it with performances or rides.
What rehabilitation looks like
The program emphasizes hands-on care without exploitation. Activities for visitors focus on education and contribution: preparing large food mounds, walking beside the herds, and helping with daily grooming. No one mounts the animals.
Since opening its doors in the early 2000s, the camp and its partner foundation have rescued dozens of animals from the street and from tourist operations. A resident veterinarian oversees nutrition and medical programs for roughly 20 elephants, while staff work to reintegrate animals into a calmer routine.
The human side: why mahouts matter
Elephant care in Thailand is inseparable from the people who have tended these animals for generations. The mahout—an often hereditary role—forms deep bonds with a single elephant and is critical to that animal’s wellbeing.
These caretakers faced acute hardship when international tourism stopped during the pandemic. The camp’s conservation director points out that feeding one elephant can cost the equivalent of about US$18,000 a year; daily needs for an animal quickly add up. When tourism income vanished, many mahouts struggled to feed their elephants and support their families.
Yet the bond usually prevents abandonment. At the camp I observed mahouts embrace their elephants and witnessed subtle, mutual behaviors—shade provided instinctively by an elephant, or familiar vocal cues exchanged between pair—underscoring how entwined their lives are.
Training, education and wider impact
Supporting mahouts is treated as part of ethical care. The foundation provides on-site housing, meals, and schooling for mahouts’ children in nearby villages; local English instruction has measurably improved exam scores. For many families, these programs create alternatives and strengthen long-term prospects.
Equally important are new training approaches for both mahouts and elephants. Free workshops teach positive reinforcement techniques—using treats to encourage behaviours that make medical checks safer and less stressful. After more than a decade the program has been expanded across borders into neighbouring countries and reached hundreds of caretakers.
- Key indicators of ethical elephant care: no riding or performances; emphasis on rescue and rehabilitation; veterinary oversight; long-term funding for food and health; support for mahout livelihoods.
- Signs of problematic facilities: animals chained or tethered long-term; forced tricks or rides; lack of medical staff; replacement of mahout roles with transient workers.
- Why it matters now: post-pandemic recovery and rising traveler awareness mean sanctuaries must balance animal welfare with economic realities for communities dependent on elephants.
My return visit confirmed that sanctuaries can be more than photo opportunities: they can be centers for recovery, education and community support. The healthier models shift the focus from entertainment to conservation, and from short-term income to sustainable care for both elephants and the people who look after them.
For countries where elephants are part of the cultural landscape, the challenge is to preserve that relationship without repeating past harms—by funding animal welfare, training mahouts in humane methods, and keeping rehabilitation, not spectacle, at the center of elephant tourism.
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A globe-trotter and international trade enthusiast, Oliver explores the connection between business travel and trade opportunities.
