Around 3800 elephants live in captivity in Thailand which is more than half of the country's total elephant population. Some experts believe there could be fewer than 1000 left in the wild, a number that will most likely only decrease as their habitats are further destroyed. For those elephants unfortunate enough to have been captured from the wild, or bred into captivity, their suffering starts from a young age. 

All domestic elephants you see in Thailand will have undergone a procedure known as “Phajaan”, which translates to “breaking of the spirit”. As elephants are naturally social and have very strong family bonds, as well as being incredibly intelligent, they must undergo phajaan at a young age so that they will become completely subservient to their mahouts (an elephant keeper) demands. The breaking of the spirit involves separating the baby from its mother. In the wild, this usually involves killing the family so they can take the baby safely, before locking them into an enclosure known as the crush. This is usually an incredibly small pen, just big enough to fit the elephant. Here they will be tortured through methods such as burning, beating, stabbing (usually with a bull hook which is the weapon used by mahouts to control the animal) and starvation. This process usually takes about a week, but sometimes can go on for longer. Once complete, the baby's spirit has been broken and it will be submissive to its master's orders. A lot of the young elephants will either die during this process or be unable to work afterwards due to the physical and mental stress it puts on them.

For the elephants that survive the process, they are then tame enough for the mahouts to put them to work. Before tourism, most elephants were used for logging, but following its ban in 1989 many mahouts started taking their elephants into cities to beg so they could still make a living. However, now with such a booming tourist industry many of Thailand's domestic elephants are trained to be used for shows, trekking camps or other forms of exploitation like forced breeding and illegal logging. 

With the amount of income this brings to the country, there is no wonder the people higher up in the food chain don’t want to see an end to the industry as it is now. The government actively encourages elephant training, offering monthly payments to mahouts once they can demonstrate that an elephant in their care has mastered tricks, is performing in shows or is used to give rides to tourists. 

Many of the elephants I saw involved in this side of the tourism industry, who weren't working at the time, showed stereotypical signs of stress and depression - head bobbing and swaying as they were chained up and unable to move very far, often without access to food and water. Those we saw working often had visible cuts and tears on their ears from where mahouts have used bull hooks to control and manipulate their animals for riding and shows. Those used for riding would have arched backs with deformed spines from years of carrying the uncomfortable and heavy chairs tourists ride in. Many also had skin discolouration from overwashing and scrubbing, through mahouts keeping their animals clean for the tourists and from camps which offer elephant bathing. Many of the injuries these animals endure remain for the rest of their lives.

For many of the elephants involved in tourism, all they will ever know is abuse and being made to work until they are physically unable to or die, a bittersweet release from the life they have endured. For others though, although few and far between, there is hope. An alternative. Freedom. 

Thanks to the tireless work of a few conservationists, and more awareness of the issues, Thailand's elephant tourism industry is slowly starting to change. Places such as Elephant Nature Park and Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand provide respite, shelter and a new home. With these organisations elephants are free from chains and hooks - they are cared for and can spend the rest of their lives free from the brutal existence they were enduring. Although the numbers are still small, more places such as these are starting to open, with the hopes of changing the industry for the better. This will hopefully allow tourists to experience the elephants in a more natural and ethical way. 

Although there are truly ethical sanctuaries present in Thailand, many places are rebranding themselves as sanctuaries following the shift to more ethical tourism. However, many of them are not truly ethical. Some will open in the mornings offering trekking and shows, close for an hour midday to change their branding, and re-open in the afternoon offering a completely different program to appeal to tourists from all over. Many have shifted from trekking and shows to offering things such as bathing and feeding, which is better than the alternatives but still not truly ethical.

With such a saturated market and advertisements for different elephant attractions almost wherever you go in the country, it can be hard and overwhelming to know what to look out for and how to spot a truly ethical place. For people travelling to Thailand who wish to have truly ethical encounters, I would say make sure you do your research on a place before you go. Key things to look out for include:

• Are the elephants allowed to socialise with one another if they wish

• No chains

• No rides, shows or opportunities to bathe with the elephants

• Visitors are not allowed to get up close and touch the elephants

• Mahouts are trained to guide their elephants using positive reinforcement such as food, not hooks

• A/ah nice llowing their elephants to roam freely if they wish

• Elephants are given a varied and nutritious diet

• They don’t breed their elephants

Although there is still a very long way to go, change is happening. Many charities and organisations are starting to get the message out. Travel companies are no longer advertising unethical places, and tourists are starting to understand more about how bad for the animals it is to engage in these activities.

I hope this has helped you understand more about the plight of the Asian Elephant, for these practices are not just in Thailand, these animals are used for human gain all over Asia. But if you do wish to see elephants, then don't be put off, just please do your research and go and support one of the truly ethical sanctuaries out there otherwise things won’t ever change.