Asia's Elephant Wars - Thailand's Elephant Today

Elephants are a national symbol in Thailand and their importance as working animals and in warfare is part of the country's history. However, since logging was banned in 1989 the only demand for these domesticated elephants has been in the tourism industry.

Today there are a couple of hundred elephants living on Phuket working in tourism. Although it would be much better if elephants were able to roam wild this is simply not possible in modern Thailand. It costs approximately US$500 per month to feed and care for an elephant in captivity. Elephant trekking helps keep these animals employed, fed and out of the cities.

Therefore, it is a sad fact that some elephant camps do not treat their elephants with the proper care, food and conditions that they require to stay happy and healthy. You can help support the humane treatment of elephants by carefully selecting the elephant camp you visit.

The Elephant Help Foundation was set up to treat sick and mistreated elephants working in southern Thailand. The foundation runs a mobile clinic, since its much easier to take the clinic to the elephant than it is to move a sick elephant.

Elephant trekking can be a memorable experience not to be missed during your stay in Phuket, especially for children. There are numerous elephant camps around Phuket that provide an opportunity to ride on an elephant along a trail through jungle and rubber plantations.

Most of these elephant safaris are relatively short, 30 mins to 1 hour, though you do get to take in a lot of the natural surroundings on your way. Therefore, most elephant treks will also involve a ride on bamboo rafts or buffalo cart as well. There is also usually an elephant show in which trained elephants perform various tasks.