Ask anyone who has experienced Thailand and out of the Top 10 Reasons to travel Thailand, interacting with elephants pops up as number 1... But define interacting... Define what interacting is to you... Is it climbing on top to sit on a bamboo-like chair and take this friendly giant for a ride? If not, this writer is awfully glad to hear it. You see, interacting with an elephant should be no different than interacting with your domesticated dog. They need baths, walks, play time, feeding time, and a connection. Elephants are some of if not the most intelligent of all wildlife and they require love and care.

Don't be fooled with their size; if you were to stand to their side and stare into one of their eyes, you'll experience a gentleness unlike any other. You may be inclined to even take one home even though you know it to be impossible. Imagine their look of distress having a contraption forced upon them in order for their owner to collect as much as possible per carry. This contraption causes stress, chafing, and damage to the elephant's skin overtime.

 

 

What better experience is there than to connect with an elephant than to truly connect with one? Bathing it, feeding it, playing with it, and if you wish to ride one, by all means do it, but who says it has to be with a throne forced around its torso? There are several sanctuaries in the region such as Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary where in addition to assisting the local community, you can help bathe and walk elephants. There are other sanctuaries specifically built for older elephants such as the Beesanctuary Elephant Sanctuary that focus on the welfare of older elephants, a retirement home if you will.

Did you know that 16,000 elephants are held in captivity around the world? 75% of the 16,000 have been ripped from their natural habitat...What will knock your socks off is that 16,000 is a quarter of the total number of elephants on Earth! Let that sink in for a moment... Worse part is that experts estimate that not one, but five adult elephants are killed protecting a calf during their capture.

One of my favorite all-time "Travel Conscience" tour operators, G Adventures has stricken all elephant activities from their Asia tours. In their policy, G Adventures states that they recognize the importance of animal welfare to the tourism industry, and believe it to be an essential part of their commitment to responsible tourism. Their guidelines were adopted by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) in conjunction with the Born Free
Foundation.

In conclusion, if you are looking to truly interract with wildlife while on tour, G Adventures supports the Jane Goodall's Institute's mission to protect wildlife and empower local communities. To truly interract with wildlife, we invite you to take a look at the entire Jane Goodall Travel Collection Right Here!