Is elephant bathing ethical? Reasons tourists should avoid this activity

Top image: Nick Axelrod

Our research shows there is a growing awareness among tourists that circus-style shows using elephants and elephant riding cause suffering.

But instead of driving tourists away from elephant entertainment altogether, it has led to a boom in the popularity of elephant washing venues in the last five years, with the number of ‘washing’ venues in Thailand more than tripling.

The ‘crush’

Whether taken from the wild or bred in captivity, nearly all elephants used for close tourist contact such as bathing have undergone a traumatic training method known as the ‘crush’.

This involves separating young elephant calves from their mothers, keeping them in isolation, depriving them of food and water, and in many cases beating them repeatedly until they are broken and can be controlled by fear.

In 2020, World Animal Protection released an expose showing the cruel training process that young elephants endure to make them submissive enough to interact with tourists, such as giving rides and performing in shows. The investigation showed young elephants being forcibly separated from their mothers, tied to wooden structures while being repeatably beaten and forced to walk hobbled on chains.  

When tourists support bathing venues, they unknowingly support this cruelty behind the scenes and help the industry thrive.

Venues offering these experiences are also falsely masquerading themselves as 'sanctuaries', 'rescue centres' and as 'ethical', duping well-meaning tourists.

Elephant-loving tourists who want that ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity are fueling demand for a mammoth sized problem that causes unthinkable cruelty behind the scenes, even if they don’t realise.

These intelligent, sociable creatures are the victims of a trade that exploits them in their thousands. Tourists need to know the truth – any elephant that you can get close enough to touch is an elephant that’s been subjected to horrific abuse.

It’s not just riding and circus-style shows that involve suffering – it’s the bathing and selfie opportunities that you might find at so-called ‘sanctuaries’, ‘orphanages’ or ‘rescue centers’. This isn’t innocent fun. This is cruelty.

The elephant entertainment industry is part of the multi-billion dollar global wildlife trade, which we’re campaigning against.

Elephant bathing can be extremely risky for tourists

Recently, a 22-year-old Spanish tourist tragically lost her life during an elephant bathing activity at Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre, Phang Nga Province.

This unfortunate incident highlights the inherent risks of using elephants in tourism activities designed for human entertainment. Such practices not only endanger the safety of tourists and mahouts, but also negatively impact the welfare of the elephants involved.

Over the years, there have been numerous reports of injuries and fatalities linked to these activities.  Read our guide to being an elephant-friendly tourist here.

Elephants are large, unpredictable wild animals, and for their sake and ours should never be used for tourist entertainment.

They endure deeply cruel training methods from an early age to break their spirit, and this suffering continues throughout their entire lives in captivity.

The tourist industry overlooks the huge risk to tourists and staff during these interactions as well as the animal suffering involved. As long as this continues, heart-breaking tragedies like this may happen to unsuspecting tourists.

Elephants. Not commodities  

Elephants are big business for tourism venues – offering interactions such as shows, riding, bathing or using them as photo props for selfies. Across Asia, there are over 3,800 captive elephants exploited for tourist entertainment in 357 camps.

Our Elephants. Not commodities report compares research into elephant tourism which spans a decade, assessing venues across Thailand, India, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

The findings are horrifying, revealing that 2,390 (63%) elephants are suffering in severely dire conditions at 357 venues across the countries studied, and of those just 279 (7%) elephants are kept in high-welfare venues.

Captive breeding must be banned

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the captive elephant tourism industry generated between $581 to $770 million (USD) per year on the back of elephant suffering.

As a sustainable, long-term solution, we’re advocating for a captive breeding ban on elephants to ensure future generations are spared this trauma.

Tourists also hold considerable power to turn their backs on unethical practices and can opt instead to see elephants in their natural habitat or support elephant-friendly camps.