Tourism in Thailand is a booming industry and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Millions of visitors relax on these shores of paradise every year for sun and sand, and venture into the northern mountains for glittering white temples and scenic hiking. Another of Thailand’s biggest drawcards is elephants. But there’s a darker side most don’t see. Elephants welfare in Thailand is awful and begins with the process of Phajaan. Elephant tourism relies on this process to break the creature physically and mentally – and as tourists, we need to come together to stop this entertainment exploitation.
You have probably seen or at least heard about a tourist, or company advertising “Elephant Rides in Thailand”, “Elephant trekking in Thailand”, or some form of elephant circus in South East Asia (they exist throughout the entire world). It’s pretty common. But all these tricks, the standing on one leg, painting a picture or even letting tourists climb onto their back isn’t a natural activity for these amazing creatures and is often done under duress from the threat of severe punishment, like a beating or pain inflicted on them for misbehaving.
Please note: Warning – Behind the doors of elephant tourism and Phajaan isn’t a pleasing experience. There are no images or movies of the phajaan process of breaking an elephant in this post. If I decide to add sensitive images later on, I will update this section beforehand.
I will add a link at the bottom of this page if you would like to witness excatly what happens to an elephant during phajaan – for the sole reason that this does happen in 2019, and the only way to combat it is through education.
If it’s not already obvious, I’d like to point out that this article isn’t a happy one. It contains some pretty awful mentions of what happens to elephants during the terrible phajaan, or spirit breaking process. So if that’s not for you, that’s okay. But it is important to know that our actions as tourists can cause awful consequences for animals involved, because this is happening in 2019.
Elephant tourism, and the process of Phajaan, isn’t an easy thing to stomach. I get it. But that is why it’s important to understand the very grave consequences for these giants that come from using elephants solely for entertainment, among other industries, such as logging.
If you are reading this and have taken part in these activities already, please, don’t feel bad. This article on elephant welfare in Thailand and Phajaan is not intended to shame anyone or make you feel bad. It is for education and hopefully helps the welfare of elephants around the world. You can let future travelers know how to travel and not negatively affect the lives of these beautiful animals.
What exactly is the process of Phajaan?
Phajaan is the local term for the process of breaking an elephants spirit. This isn’t done easily or quickly and involves capturing and torturing baby elephants. Many elephants even commit suicides to escape this awful process by standing on their truck to suffocate themselves. This is why the Mahoot (elephants owner and trainer) stays with the elephant for the entire 7-day process. Yes, a full week of torture.
Phajaan begins just as awful. Baby elephants are hunted down and kidnapped from their parents. Most of the time, every adult around the baby are killed. From here the elephant is taken to a remote location and tied up.
The baby elephant is now tied up in every way so they are forced to stand and can’t even move in any direction. Their ears are pinned back. As the days pass, the chains and ropes wear through the elephant’s skin, motor oil infused with herbs are lathered on the wounds to prevent infection.
This is all while being whipped and beaten.
The Mahout pulls the elephant by the truck around a tree to teach it obedience, and if the elephant disobeys, it’s punished. More severe beatings, or pricked with a metal hook or nail.
That’s not to say you can’t spend time with these giants. Just do it ethically, with a company that cares and educated the public and owners on how to treat these animals. I visited Elephants in Chiang Mai and it was an amazing experience. They were rescued from industries that treated them as disposable trash and are given a second chance at a sustainable life.
Why is breaking the spirit of an elephant important to these industries?
Basically, Phajaan breaks the elephant so they become submissive and can be trained to serve in a profitable industry. Tourism and logging are two main types of work elephants are trained for. Without breaking an elephant first, training them would be much harder or even impossible. The welfare of the animal is not taking into consideration at all.
By kidnapping a baby elephant, and murdering the infants entire family, it’s pretty easy for the Mahoot to claim ownership of this new elephant. Legal documents of purchase are easily forged and officials are sometimes bribed to look the other way.
Once the baby elephant is broken and its spirit crushed, it can be trained in what will be profitable for the Mahout – be that tourism, logging etc.
The best way to combat unethical elephant tourism in Thailand is by making it unprofitable. We do that through educating as many travelers to Thailand as possible, and while things are slowly changing for elephant welfare in Thailand, it can’t change quick enough!
Elephants in the tourism industry
Unfortunately, elephants are valuable assets in the tourism industry of Thailand and throughout parts of Asia. Elephants rides, circuses, paintings and begging on the streets are all common things for them to be subject to.
Riding on an elephant’s back causes major issues to their spine. This damage cripples elephants over time. Sure, they are huge animals but their backs aren’t able to support the weight. On top of a couple of humans, the heavy metal seat can weigh hundreds of kilograms. Put all that together and carry that along a trekking trail, it’s not a sustainable lifestyle for an elephant, nor any animal alive today.
Another common thing for a trained elephant is to paint a picture. Ever seen a wild elephant in the jungle, with a paintbrush wrapped in its trunk, dipping the end in paint and drawing trees and houses? Nah, neither have I.
It’s not natural for an elephant to be a painter. They even need to be helped to draw. While the elephant is painting, the Mahoot is by the elephant’s side, using a nail or a sharpened fingernail on the underside of the elephant’s ear to cause the animal pain if it acts out or disobeys. The Mahout uses this sharp instrument to maneuver the head of the elephant to paint the picture. You’re not really paying for an elephant illustration, it’s an extension of the Mahouts arm.
Circus’ is another common form of elephants entertaining people. Standing on one leg also isn’t a natural occurrence for an elephant. They can weigh 5 tonnes, that’s pretty heavy for one leg.
The conditions of these circuses aren’t good. If these performers are injured or get sick, they aren’t cared for. If they can’t earn the Mahoots money, they are disposable and often left to die.
Elephants are used in other industries such as logging. Carting giant logs over rough terrain causes injuries as they slip and fall. Broken legs are common. Once again, usually left to die rather than be cared for back to health.
What can I do as a traveler to make sure I don’t add to the negative effects of elephant tourism?
The short answer, don’t take any type of tours that offer rides, paintings or elephant performances. These animals are taken advantage of due to their strength and/or tourist novelty.
Many of these elephants are captured in the wild, with a large number coming from Myanmar. And with birth documents so easily forged, it’s simple to pass off captured elephants as legitimately owned. The best way to protect these elephants is to make the industries unprofitable. If there’s no money in it, there’s no point to capture, break and train Elephants, right?
Sure, you can pay money to see Elephants, like Elephant Nature Park, just outside of Chiang Mai, but don’t support companies the use elephants just for short term profit. There are companies that care for elephants long term and educate the owners and public about caring for these kind animals.
What was my tour of elephants in Chiang Mai like?
Please note: Some links below are affiliate links. I earn a small amount through certain purchases you make, this does not increase the cost for you and helps support this site.
I didn’t visit the Elephant Nature Park itself, which has dozens of rescued elephants at its sanctuary. But I did visit an affiliate program run by the nature sanctuary.
Compared to viewing dozens, I got up close and personal with three elephants and spent half a day preparing them food, taking a jungle walk and watching them just be elephants. The owner of the elephants, the Mahoot, is there, but a representative from the shelter shows and teaches these men how to care for the life they own.
I noticed this first hand when my guide told a Mahoot apprentice to stop trying to force the elephant to have a swim, saying “it isn’t what these tourists are here for”. In the end, it is all about education and finding ways to create a living, while not sentencing these animals to death solely for our entertainment as tourists.
You can book your tour to an ethical elephant park in Chiang Mai – one that doesn’t give the option of trekking on elephants, rides of any kind or other unnatural activities for these animals.
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Related Thailand Reading:
- Visit the backpacker town of Pai
- Eco-friendly diving on Phi Phi Island
- Chiang Rai is another great city in northern Thailand
As always, is love to hear your thoughts or questions in the comments below!
Thanks for reading,
Happy and safe travels,
Ben – Horizon Unknown
