An elephant experience is one of Thailand's most popular tourist attractions; however, tourists should exercise caution and adopt ethical practices by refraining from touching the elephants when visiting elephant camps.
World Animal Protection Thailand has called on camps to stop using elephants to entertain tourists, specifically requesting that hands-on participation by tourists in bathing and feeding activities be banned.
Many tourists have expressed difficulty in finding a "truly ethical" no-touch sanctuary, with some opting out of the experience altogether. According to the Livestock Department, Chiang Mai -- the hub for elephant tourism in Thailand -- has about 90 camps and is home to 871 elephants for tourists to choose from.
Although many sanctuaries are branded as "ethical", they still offer tourists mud-bathing experiences and close encounters with the elephants.
"It was difficult to find an ethical sanctuary because they all claimed to be so. However, when we dug a little deeper, we realised that some offer baths or encourage feeding elephants by hand, yet still consider themselves ethical," said LuLu Foures, a French university student travelling through Chiang Mai.
The death of a 22-year-old Spanish tourist at Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre in the southern province of Phangnga in December 2024 is another reason why travellers are taking extra precautions when choosing to take part in elephant experiences.
Maggie Gibson, 22, a traveller from New Zealand, said: "We deliberately chose to go to a no-touch sanctuary because it felt wrong. The death reinforced our decision even further. We should not touch elephants because they do not want to be touched."
Based on data from the Livestock Department, there are 5,359 domesticated elephants in 245 elephant camps nationwide.
This means that 55.8% of elephants in Thailand live in captivity, in camps or sanctuaries that rely on tourism for survival, according to Trunks Up, a certified organisation committed to protecting Asian elephants.
Trunks Up reports that the truth about commercial elephant tourism can be ugly. Despite the increase in greenwashed promotional tactics and a growing number of companies advertising themselves as sanctuaries, elephants remain in cruel, abusive conditions.
Catherine Baldwin, a solo traveller from the United Kingdom, was opposed to visiting an elephant sanctuary altogether.
"Sometimes, even with the deepest research, you can't always be sure you're provided with the facts. I just find it a bit eerie, which makes it hard to enjoy," said Ms Baldwin.
Blue Daily Elephant Care Sanctuary in Chiang Mai is an example of a no-touch, no-bathing, no-feeding elephant experience, where tourists observe the rescued elephants roaming freely from afar.
Billy, a guide who has worked at the sanctuary for 10 years, said: "We like to protect the elephants' happiness. We want to see them happy rather than being touched."
The site is a haven for five rescued elephants retired from years of forced labour in logging. They now have 50 acres (126 rai) of land on which to roam.
Each elephant is cared for by a mahout from a Karen tribe, where elephant training is a skill passed down through generations.
Billy explained that, unlike many sanctuaries in Chiang Mai, Blue Daily does not allow tourists to bathe or feed the animals. "Elephants do not like being bathed if they do not have the freedom to choose," he said.
After researching what felt authentically ethical, LuLu Foures chose Blue Daily for her Chiang Mai elephant experience. "For them, it is essential to let the elephants be elephants. We followed the elephants and moved at their pace; it was never the other way around. If the elephants want to approach, then they approach, but it is never initiated by the human," she explained.
World Animal Protection (WAP) estimated that before Covid-19, elephants generated up to US$770 million (about 25.8 billion baht) a year for Thailand. The pandemic drastically impacted the industry, leaving sanctuaries reliant on external donations. Blue Daily was one sanctuary fortunate enough to survive Covid-19 through philanthropic donations.
One solo traveller, who wished to remain anonymous, spent a week volunteering at Chiang Mai's Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary founded by Saengduean Chailert, an internationally acclaimed pioneer in elephant protection.
The traveller was part of a group of 50 who paid to volunteer and learn about Asian elephants and their struggles. The group worked for 4–6 hours, cleaning and rebuilding the park after the recent Chiang Mai floods, and working in the "elephant kitchen" preparing food for the animals.
"I know a lot of people were nervous about this being another unethical sanctuary, but everyone said that the feeling disappeared after seeing how well the elephants were treated and the dedication of Lek (Saengduen's nickname) and her husband Darrick," a volunteer remarked.
The sanctuary is developing a skywalk so tourists remain even more hands-off than they currently are.
It remains an ongoing debate, as the money generated from elephant tourism in Thailand plays a vital role in the survival of thousands of people who rely on the elephant business for their income.
However, the risk of "ethical" greenwashing in sanctuaries still offering touch and bathing experiences could continue to deter tourists from going altogether.
