How I Quit Riding Elephants in Asia

It was not long time ago when I loved riding an elephant whenever I could. I would take an elephant ride in Delhi, Kerala, or Kolkata whenever I would get a chance. However, recently I read an article about the atrocities done to the poor fellows and then went ahead to inquire more about it. In the end, I felt ashamed that I had enjoyed being carried by the elephants on their back in the past. I committed to myself that I would never do it again, and spread the word about it so that the innocent animals are saved from the brutalities of humans. Even if I can save one elephant for a moment, it would be a feat well-achieved.

The baby elephants

Since adult elephants are difficult to tame, the mahouts seize baby elephants using various illegal methods. They mistreat them, abuse them, and hit them with clubs to bring about submissive behavior in them. The pain is unbearable for the babies when the trainers pierce their bodies with sharp bull-hooks. I could not imagine myself in a situation if someone deprives me of sleep and does not give any food; the same treatment is given to these poor animals.

Imagine when you are sick, and no one is there to take care of you. Even if you have someone to care about you, he or she deliberately doesn't do it. How would you feel? You will remember it all through your life. The same is the plight of elephants; they never forget when the mahouts deprive them of veterinary care purposefully. Elephants are compassionate beings at heart; they never forget both the love as well as hate that they receive.

Whenever they are wounded, the mahouts do not provide them with medicines just to save money. Since the elephants are deprived of their natural habitats, they do not have any means to treat themselves in the jungle. They have to depend on humans for their wellbeing, but hardly any organizations or individuals treat the animals with love or let them be with other elephants.

Entertainment by elephants

You might have heard stories about the torturous treatment given to various animals in the entertainment industry; the same is the case with elephants. Whether it is a circus show or a simple elephant ride, the animals are forced to do various acts for the sake of entertainment of people. In order to train them for a simple journey, they have to go through months of atrocities. Even when they are prepared enough, the inhuman treatment does not let them live in peace. The governments of different nations around the world have banned the use of animals in circuses, but the shows still go on in various places.

Other ways of spending time with elephants

When I was in Kerala this time, I made sure to stay away from the elephant's rides or any form of entertainment by the animals. I took a Self Drive Luxury Car Hire to amuse myself rather than ride on the back of so-called well-tamed elephants. On the other hand, I went to an elephant orphanage where they allowed the tourists to spend time with baby elephants as well as adults. We could bathe them, feed them, and play with them. We could do all of this under the guidance of polite mahouts so that he could deal with the changing behavior of the elephants. It was fun to be with the giant yet adorable animals like the way we did in Kerala. We spent two days in their habitat and had a good time with them all with their consent.