The centers responders are the first on site when an elephant or rhino poaching is reported, or when one creature is in some kind of distress, moving quickly to save the orphaned babies and bring them to safety. Look closer though, and you'll other signs of wellbeing: healthy skin, strong toenails and moist pads on the undersides of their feet. Elephant meat-eating is not uncommon in countries like the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and also the Democratic Republic of Congo. All in all, if youre traveling and are interested in having an elephant experience or encounter, its essential you choose the right place in order to be a responsible traveler. Tangkahan is a remote village nestled inside the Gunung Leuser National Park, in northern Sumatra on the west side of Indonesia. Copyright 2022 Asia for Animals Coalition Yes This guide contains affiliate links. Similarly, one might also expect management practices to be shaped by the different physiological (e.g., size, reproductive cycles, metabolic demands) and behavioral (e.g., social development and group dynamics) characteristics of female and male elephants [5]. AWARE Institute, Portland, Oregon, United States of America, Affiliation I invite you to continue supporting organizations and practices that are gentle to all creatures, both great and small. BEC representatives were not available to answer Al Jazeeras questions about the elephants, and its telephone numbers were disconnected. 7 Ways To Know You're Visiting an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary They have acted irresponsibly not only to the animals but to employees who committed their lives to their jobs. Tree bark is a favorite food source for elephants. The authors would like to acknowledge the significant efforts of the full project team: Christy Alligood, Jeff Bolling, Mary Bonaparte-Saller, Janine Brown, Anne-Marie de Passill, Candice Dorsey, Greg Guagnano, Jennifer Hogan, Matthew Holdgate, Mike Keele, Katherine Leighty, John Lehnhardt, Georgia Mason, Jill Mellen, Michele Miller, Steve Paris, Harry Peachey, Josh Plotnik, Natalia Prado-Oviedo, Jeff Rushen, Daniel Sneed, Joseph Soltis, Nadja Wielebnowski, and James Witte. While these practices are required elements of all elephant programs accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) [3], they are not standardized. Nowadays, I inspire others to travel on a more compassionate path through vegan experiences and sustainable tourism. Two of these sections collected information at the zoo level (enrichment and feeding), while three collected information at the individual elephant level (management schedules, use of training tools, and exercise). While the study wasn't designed to explain social behavior, these . They also got to help prepare a vitamin treat for the elephants and then feed it to them. Elephant enthusiasts are in for a treat as the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary launches a new ethical hands-off feeding session. As a wild animal that under normal circumstances would avoid human interaction at all cost, being up close and personal with an elephant is irresponsible. Is the Subject Area "Elephants" applicable to this article? RELATED: Do People Eat Zebras? There were an average of 7.2 feedings every 24-hour period, with only 1.2 occurring during the nighttime. Not Commodities. To calculate the Training Item scores, we averaged the staff responses on each of the 19 training techniques for every elephant and then rounded these values to the nearest half integer, forming a nine-point half-integer scale that included the following categories: Never (1), Never/Rarely (1.5), Rarely (2), Rarely/Sometimes (2.5), Sometimes (3), Sometimes/Frequently (3.5), Frequently (4), Frequently/Very Frequently (4.5), and Very Frequently (5). It was spectacular! "The takeaway is that those who demand that no one think about race (a classic pink-elephant paradox) refuse to see, much less solve for, the elephant in the room - the race-linked disparities . When we subdivided the population according to Guide Exposure, we found that 81 elephants were housed at 27 zoos that did not keep guides on their premises, while 138 elephants were housed at 38 zoos with guides onsite (Table 14). Asian elephants spent more time managed (defined as interacting directly with staff) than Africans (mean time managed: Asians = 56.9%; Africans = 48.6%; p<0.001), and managed time increased by 20.2% for every year of age for both species. Elephants can be trained to participate in exercise routines including activities such as stretching and staff-directed walking. He does not bear any ill will to his former employer, only gratitude to his new one. By Lauren Pears Last Updated July 3, 2023 It's no secret that elephant riding is cruel. Through either verbal or physical measures. But the impact on small companies like Bali Elephant Camp has been especially severe. Opinion | Zoos Are Bad for Animals - The New York Times All of these findings demonstrate that exposure to guides coincides with more frequent use of aversive stimuli in training interactions. They also reported how often their staff used the enrichment program components based on the SPIDER framework (e.g., setting goals, scheduling activities, documentation, evaluation, and program readjustment). Scores of 0 represent no use and scores of 11 represent use 100% of the time. Our experience feeding, playing, and swimming with elephants in Thailand was completely magical thanks in large part to their efforts, and we will cherish the memories for a lifetime! No, Is the Subject Area "Animal behavior" applicable to this article? In some species, food-associated anticipatory stereotypies can be disrupted and reduced by providing animals with temporally and spatially unpredictable feeding events [31], and it seems possible the same may apply to elephants. Bakas has long been dogged by accusations of underfeeding its elephants with complaints from visitors on TripAdvisor dating back a decade. It was chained up and was swaying from side to side, which is a sign of PTSD. We used the data to create a number of novel variables characterizing management schedules, environmental enrichment, feeding, exercise, and training practices. [63] we found that scheduling enrichment with a calendar was the most frequently used enrichment program component (median = 4; frequently) derived from the SPIDER framework. Due to such management regimes the welfare of the individual elephants is often compromised. News | Wildlife 'Just skin and bones': Bali elephants left to starve Experts say issue raises questions about elephant tourism in Indonesia, which was highly profitable before the pandemic. Jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang and coming face-to-face with orangutans in their wild habitat is an experience we will never forget. The elephant was reported to be underweight, have rough skin and abscesses on both hips, thinning foot pads, and a stiff left foreleg, making it difficult for him to walk and stand. The Wanderful Me is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. In a recent foreward written by Jane Goodall for the Elephants. A data set of de-identified, population-level data is available at doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.3383554. A pregnant elephant, for example, may . And a slight push from an elephant might very well be fatal. More than half of Gen Zers, 53% have a side hustle, as well as half of millennials and 40% of Gen Xers, according to an April 2023 Bankrate survey of 2,505 U.S. adults. Yes (+ Why Do They Have Stripes). Each categorical scale score represents use ranges in 10% increments (e.g., 1 = 19%, 2 = 1019%). However, little research has been conducted that either describes management practices or compares them across multiple zoos. Within the zoo and aquarium community, the term enrichment (or environmental enrichment) covers a wide range of practices intended to improve animal welfare by facilitating the expression of important behaviors, such as foraging or self-maintenance, and by providing opportunities for play, exploration, problem solving, and exercising choice [20,21]. Taken together, these results indicate that many elephants are fed on temporally predictable schedules with high spatial predictability and only moderate feeding method variation. We just hope that the elephants are treated more ethically by addressing the negatives we highlight below. We hope that in time, as more travellers become aware about ethical elephant tourism, that this will encourage more wildlife operators to change their approach and treat animals ethically. Constant Control Required Though tourists are moving away from circus-style shows and elephant riding, many are swapping out those ridiculously torturous experiences for bathing and washing, up close feeding, or other close encounters Is Tangkahan Elephant Sanctuary a True and Ethical Sanctuary? However, most elephants were fed only once during the nighttime (Tables 10 and 11). In addition to developing these two synthesized variables, we also investigated the effect of Guide Exposure on the training experience of elephants. It costs $200 a month to feed one.. The Shannon-Weaver Index was used to derive the Feeding Diversity score, with a possible range of 0 (one type of feeding always used) to 1.8 (equal frequency use of 6 feeding types). Walk Week and Exercise Week were categorical variables on a seven-point scale, ranging from less than one hour per week to more than 14 hours per week. The bullhook or other tool is used in some situations to mete out physical punishment. There were no significant interactions between age and species, indicating that increases in age influence managed time at the same rate for the two species. One of my favorite non-profits, the Sheldrick Center, is the premier orphan-elephant rescues and rehabilitation programs in the entire world! or the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria have studbooks and genetic pedigrees and carefully breed their animals as if they might be called upon at any moment to. Copyright: 2016 Greco et al. But we feel it is best if this practice is eliminated completely. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The population median was seven on a scale from one (representing only aversive stimuli) to nine (representing only rewarding stimuli). No, Is the Subject Area "Animal welfare" applicable to this article? We were also given brushes for the elephant washing. As the World Animal Protection report, Taken for a Ride, explained, at mid-range bathing and washing venues, theseinteractions are only possible through cruel early training to obeycommands. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152490.g006, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152490.t012, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152490.t013. The ethical elephant coalition members are working across Asia in partnership with elephant owners and businesses to transition away from direct public interaction practices to ethical alternatives. Analyses of Training Item scores by Guide Exposure revealed several significant differences (Fig 7C7F). Yes We currently care for elephants at locations in 4 . Enrichment, feeding, and exercise programs were evaluated using diversity indices, with mean scores across zoos in the midrange for these measures. We honestly dont know, but it just feels wrong and unethical. The selling of the tusks is also one more big incentive for hunters and this also pushes the price of elephant meat. Many other animals, along with Pollux and Castor were killed for meat. All data were stored upon submission in a relational database using an SQL server, and we ensured confidentiality by using randomly generated unique alpha-numeric codes. A guide on the best ethical elephant experiences in Thailand. Feed it your life? Asian elephants had higher scores on all exercise variables than African elephants (Tables 12 and 13), confirming and expanding upon the management schedule findings. Because they are not standardized, there may be significant variation among zoos with respect to daily care, which could in turn affect elephant welfare. These differences showed a general trend for elephants that were exposed to guides to experience techniques that involved the removal (e.g., remove negative) or addition of aversive stimuli (e.g., gentle pressure, No, showing an aversive stimulus) at a significantly higher frequency than elephants that were not exposed to guides. The guide is also known as an ankus or bullhook, since there is a metal hook with a pointed tip at the distal end. AWARE Institute, Portland, Oregon, United States of America, Affiliation The Training Techniques Survey asked qualified care staff to rate their use of 19 different training techniques when working with the assigned elephant(s). Elephants consume grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots. Exercise programs have been implemented, in part, because zoo elephants are prone to developing pododermatitis and degenerative bone disease [33,34]. Comparisons between species and between sexes were made using the Mann-Whitney U (Wilcoxon Rank Sum) test. Lots of animals - and not just elephants! The drive is long and very bumpy as the roads are more like muddy pathways meandering between the jungle and the palm tree plantations. We used the forward selection approach to build the models [62] and continued to add variables until the addition no longer resulted in significant models. Or do you have an elephant sanctuary story to tell? *Privacy policy.*. However, since both age and species are main effects in this model, we can infer that there is something about being an Asian elephant (other than the fact that Asians in this population are older than Africans [7]) driving species differences in managed time. Dan and I went on a jeep safari in Sri Lanka and we saw tons of wild elephants. Questions at the individual elephant level were presented in the survey sequentially for each elephant at the zoo and were based on elephant population data that we collected prior to developing the survey. 1. The poaching and killing of elephants for meat and as food obviously depend on the demand vs supply situation. Elephant meat was also used to feed the hunting party as a reward for their efforts. Vietnam's first ethical elephant experience | Vietnam Tourism Three of BECs 14 elephants were adopted by an unidentified zoo on the neighbouring island of Java. here. So why the hell do humans take advantage and exploit this beautiful creature? Interactions among the variables contained in any significant multi-variable models were assessed during the final model building stage. The effects of utilizing rewarding and aversive stimuli in the learning environment have been investigated with humans and other species. This may also decrease the chances of inter-species competition and prevent the animals from poaching human food sources, such as crops. Scores of 0 represent no use and scores of 11 represent use 100% of the time. In most cases this is achieved via a bullhook or a sharpen tool used to guide elephants into the places and positions that the mahout desires. When BEC failed to come up with a solution, the government seized the elephants. The management of African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) elephants in zoos involves a range of practices including feeding, exercise, training, and environmental enrichment. As I began researching, hits for elephant riding kept appearing and when I dug deeper I learned of the inhumane and brutal practice of phajaan", which literally means to crush or break. Many industries in Bali have collapsed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Agus Budi Santosa, director of BKSDA. There are some excavations to prove that the now-extinct straight-tusked elephants were hunted in large numbers. It was great exercise not just for me but for them as well. Animals | Free Full-Text | Scientific and Ethical Issues in - MDPI Similar to humans, elephants also vary what t | EurekAlert! Wildlife experts were quite alarmed at this development and in 2007, they expressed concern over the fact that elephants were being killed in large numbers, especially in some parts of Africa, not for their ivory and tusks, but for their meat. Since, first seeing an elephant in the wild in Ghana nearly 10 years ago, I have become more aware of elephant conservation and more in awe of their beauty. Equal and integrated use of all five of these components is likely to ensure that enrichment activities continue to be stimulating for animals [27]. To better understand the non-nutritional aspects of elephant feeding programs, we sought to determine the patterns in and diversity of food delivery methods. However, this practice did not continue because most Parisian people did notfind it tasty and some even believed that it was not palatable. As a result, elephant-centered tourism developed in the area and the elephant sanctuary was formed. The research group compared the new genetic technique to a method called stable isotope analysis, which involves a chemical analysis of animal hair.Two . They didnt appear to be scared of their mahouts or humans, tranquillised, abused or under-nourished. Survey content was developed from multiple sources including expert opinion, focus group interviews with elephant care professionals, and current elephant management literature. Experts say issue raises questions about elephant tourism in Indonesia, which was highly profitable before the pandemic. When it comes to elephant exploitation, things like circus shows and elephant riding come to mind but up close bathing, feeding, and selfie opportunities still cause unnecessary suffering you might not be aware of. Till this day, their primary roles are to patrol and protect the forests from illegal logging and animal poaching. A Minnesota native turned travel addict, I started wandering the world in 2010 and fell head over hiking boots in love with adventure. Those elephants' age range from 8 to 90 years old. In particular, our methods for assessing enrichment program quality and diversity and the utilization of training techniques should be broadly applicable. There are a few key things to look for in a true elephant sanctuary. When youre that close to an elephant, someone (namely the mahout) has to maintain constant control over the animal. Although we only learnt after-the-fact, that bathing elephants is not ethically ideal. In total, you spend around 90 minutes with the elephants but the tour itself can take an entire day when you include travelling from and back to Bukit Lawang. AWARE Institute is a commercial entity founded by CM in 2014 and provides animal welfare assessment, research and education services to zoos and aquariums. It's a brutal practice that needs to end Getting up close with this beauty in Thailand (47) Elephants used for riding are also chained and made to sleep on concrete floors at night. Thus, Enrichment Diversity scores characterize the variety of enrichment types utilized as well as the relative frequency with which enrichment types were presented. We identified significant species level differences in seven of the 11 Management Schedule variables (Table 6), with the primary difference being that Asian elephants were managed for a significantly greater proportion of their day (mean = 56.9% p<0.001) than African elephants (mean = 48.6). NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus recently came under the ire of People for the Ethical . The only sex difference was that females spent more time in exercise (mean = 5.5%) than males (mean = 4.3%). Where the Mann-Whitney U results indicated a species or sex difference that could be better interpreted with further analyses, we used linear regression models fitted using generalized estimating equations (GEE), which allow for the individual elephant to be used as the unit of analysis and account for the clustering of individuals within zoos [59,60]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152490.g008. In case you are wondering, a mahout is commonly known as elephant keeper. The kids really enjoyed feeding the elephants, as well as giving them a mud bath and rinsing them off in the pond. Each categorical scale score represents use ranges in 10% increments (e.g., 1 = 19%, 2 = 1019%, etc.). 10 ethical places you need to go to interact with elephants - 10Best These practices are necessary to meet the elephants' nutritional, healthcare, and husbandry needs. See method sections below). "Captive elephants should be allowed to live as naturally as possible, so if they are forced to display unnatural behaviours - such as dancing, painting or playing football - this is being done. But they were riding the elephants bareback, which we learnt is also harmful to . Kourtaliotiko Gorge: How To Get There And Find This Magical Waterfall in Crete, Greece. (The earth will LOVE you!) Even a small act of kindness can make a big difference in someone's world, or in this case, an elephant's world. Through our members' own projects of ethical elephant tourism models and tried and tested methods of providing appropriate care for elephants across Asia we offer this resource to fellow animal welfare organisations and members of the public to raise awareness of how the lives of the captive elephants in Asia can be improved. [4] Although an elephant is different from other predatory animals in that it does not prey and live on other animals like other animals. He knows the name and age of every elephant in the herd and loves sharing his knowledge with visitors, even if they remain rare for now. More specifically, stereotypic behavior rates were negatively associated with Percent Time Managed [9], distances walked were positively associated with Feeding Diversity scores and an unpredictable Feed Schedule [10]. This creates anxiety and frustration., Haas says all of these problems were created by demand from tourists for elephant rides: That one ride, that one selfie, it means a life sentence for these animals and now that Covid has hit its even worse because no more money is coming in and some elephants are starving.. We took to food to feed some elephants and ended up feeding a blind elephant. During managed time, Asian elephants also spent significantly more time engaged with staff in husbandry activities (mean = 15.5%), exercise (mean = 6.8%), and play (mean = 4.0%), than did African elephants (mean = 12.2%, 4.3%, and 1.9% respectively). Additionally, the removal of rewarding stimuli as a means of reducing undesired behavior is less likely to cause negative affective states and/or frustration than the addition of aversive stimuli [51,52]. Your adventure travel and expat guides! Scores range in half integer values between 1 (never) and 5 (very frequently) and bars represent score ranges. Best Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries in Phuket - 2023 Guide - Thailand Nomads This is why it is so incredibly important that as travellers, we educate ourselves and are aware of these unethical practices. Remarkably few studies have examined the practices used in managing zoo animals, and ours is the first multi-institutional study to do so in a systematic manner. A true ethical elephant experience wouldnt involve bathing, touching, hugging, swimming, intimate selfie opportunities, or close contact feeding sessions. Finally, sincere thanks to the people and elephants at each of the following zoos for their enthusiastic participation and support of the project: Africam Safari, Albuquerque Biological Park, Audubon Institute, Birmingham Zoo, BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo, Buffalo Zoological Gardens, Busch Gardens, Buttonwood Park Zoo, Caldwell Zoo, Calgary Zoo, Cameron Park Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Park, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Denver Zoo, Dickerson Park Zoo, Disney's Animal Kingdom, El Paso Zoo, Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Greenville Zoo, Honolulu Zoo, Houston Zoological Gardens, Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc., Jacksonville Zoological Gardens, Knoxville Zoological Gardens, Lee Richardson Zoo, Little Rock Zoological Garden, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Louisville Zoological Garden, Lowry Park Zoological Garden, Maryland Zoo, Memphis Zoological Garden and Aquarium, Metropolitan Toronto Zoo, Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens, Montgomery Zoo, Nashville Zoo, National Zoo, Niabi Zoo, North Carolina Zoological Park, Oakland Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoological Park, Oregon Zoo, Parque Zoologico de Leon, Phoenix Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Reid Park Zoo, Riverbanks Zoological Park, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, San Antonio Zoological Gardens & Aquarium, San Diego Safari Park, San Diego Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, Sedgwick County Zoo, Seneca Park Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, The Kansas City Zoo, Topeka Zoological Park, Tulsa Zoological Park, Utah's Hogle Zoo, Virginia Zoological Park, Wildlife Conservation SocietyBronx Zoo, Wildlife Safari, Woodland Park Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Zoo de Granby, Zoo Miami. We're here to help you plan your next adventure and show you how to travel consciously and sustainably! When Al Jazeera visited Tasta Wildlife Park in September, all 11 animals had been successfully rehabilitated and regained weight. Honolulu Zoo, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America, Affiliation Relying on temporally and spatially predictable feeding programs is potentially problematic. These elephants may spend extensive hours chained in one place, often with little access to food or water and with few opportunities to express their natural behaviours such as foraging, roaming and socialising. And returned next day to cover her body with branches and leaves.. Animals are capable of anticipating the arrival of predictable events, even in the absence of external cues [71], and this ability is hypothesized to play an important role in stimulating appetitive searching behaviors [32]. Plus, it was nice to see them roam around in a natural environment. Ethical Elephant Coalition | Asia for Animals We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Its crucial if you want to be a more responsible traveler. broad scope, and wide readership a perfect fit for your research every time. All rights reserved. Home | Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Thailand After the IMLS-funded period of performance (November 2010 December 2013) AWARE Institute provided support in the form of salaries for author CM. Ethical concerns over how captive animals are kept and trained are prompting many foreign visitors to boycott the elephant shows, which were once a staple of tour groups, raising questions over. Heres why. Some reviews mention that the mahouts had bull hooks. Their use for interactive tourism presented a public safety risk with both tourists and mahouts at risk of being seriously injured or killed if an elephant behaves in a manner which becomes dangerous to the tourist. I'm Sophie. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152490.t007, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152490.t008. All management schedule variables were derived from the Management Survey. Feeding questions addressed the various ways food was presented to the elephants at each zoo. This park is primarily aimed at extracting as much money as possible from tourists, with little regard to the welfare of the animals, wrote a tourist on the site in 2011. We had to solve the problem quickly because if we delayed it could have resulted in the death of the elephants, Santosa said. We do believe that being able to observe the magnificence of these majestic creatures up close, can help heighten our understanding of the fragility of our ecosystem and the importance of environmental and wildlife sustainability. The dual purpose was to provide a comprehensive review of elephant management in zoos and to generate appropriate independent variables to be used in subsequent epidemiological analyses of behavioral [911], physiological [12], and health-related [13,14] welfare indicators. Thus, categorizing training without quantifying the degree to which different methods are used, or classifying training programs simply based on the presence or absence of guides, may mask valuable information about the variability in training experiences of individual elephants.
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is feeding elephants ethical