Travel abroad introduces people to different cultures and experiences. Yet not every experience aligns with ethical values. Riding animals like camels or elephants may be offered, but it comes at a cost to animal welfare.
Behind the scenes, such rides often involve cruelty, neglect and exploitation. By understanding what’s at stake, holidaymakers can make better choices, and protect animals. Also read the post on moving on from horse-drawn carriages.
Many animals used for ‘tourist rides’ are subjected to abuse and mistreatment. Many of these creatures are taken from natural habitats, or bred in captivity in poor conditions. To break their spirits, handlers may sometimes use cruel training methods, exploiting the fear of animals, in return for obedience.
Elephants are often physically restrained and beaten, or even deprived of food and water. Camels, donkeys and horses face similar cruelty, often with excessive loads for their strength. Animals never choose these lives – they are forced into them.
Animals are never built for endless rides to carry heavy people or carts. For instance, elephants naturally walk on soft ground (walking all day on pavements leads to foot injuries and joint degeneration).
Same with camels, who naturally would walk on sand. The struggle of weight and heat can also lead to dehydration and exhaustion.
All these animals also suffer from the stress of noise and crowds, often enduring a chained life outside of working. Even basic needs like rest, shade or adequate food are denied, to bring in more money from tourists.
Health Risks of Animal Rides to Humans
It’s not just humans that can suffer. If humans (especially abroad) take animal rides, often they are risk of zoonotic diseases, which can pass from animals to humans.
This includes TB in elephants and rabies in camels. Dirty saddles, animal sweat and waste can all increase exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses.
Some animals (even if trained) can be unpredictable. If they respond to stress or pain, they may suddenly react, and this could cause injuries to both the animal and rider.
Despite their naturally gentle nature, elephants used for rides have been known to lash out, causing tragic incidents. Some animals are also so exhausted they they fall, also causing injuries to both animal and human.
Alternatives to Animal Rides
Just be an ecotourist! There is absolutely no merit (other than selfish exploitation) to take animal rides. Not doing so, will encourage countries to offer alternative ways for locals to earn income.
Explore the area on foot. Walking around to see the sights and sounds is far better, and you can save the money used for animal rides, to donate instead to a local animal shelter or wildlife sanctuary.
The company Responsible Travel don’t sell any holidays that allow elephant rides, as again many of these gentle giants are exploited. This often happens in Asia, and are often promoted as ethical ways to learn how to be a mahout etc, but the truth is not so pretty.
Wild elephant are struggling to survive due to habitat loss, and the more are taken to provide tourist entertainment, the less better futures for them.
The wonderful Chris Packham once took an elephant ride when not knowing the reality behind it, and now campaigns to educate others to not take elephant rides abroad. It was a safari to view tigers in their natural habitat, but now he says it was a mistake.
He supports the government’s Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, which is a bit of a mouthful but basically clamps down on using animals abroad for entertaining tourists from zoos and aquariums to animal rides, dancing animals.
And chimps being ripped from their parents and having their teeth removed, to have photos taken with children.
A study at Oxford University found that over half a million animals worldwide suffer for tourism entertainment. An obvious example is bullfights (nearly all income is from UK and American tourism, same for trophy hunting).
Alas Chris says it’s a pretty pointless piece of legislation, unless people can use it. He suggests instead reporting animal cruelty abroad direct to organisations like Born Free and PETA (also inform your local tour operator and the police).
Don’t Let Children Have Donkey Rides
In England, it’s still common for some parents to pay others for their children to take donkey rides on beaches.
But times have moved on, and rides now undergo strict welfare checks (overseen by the Donkey Sanctuary charity, which has imposed strict riding weights, due to obesity).
But it still remains a boring life for donkeys, who no doubt would prefer to be living in open fields, playing with their own kind.
Donkeys on UK beach rides must now have fresh water and shade (especially in hot summers). Only a few years ago, a petition to ban all UK donkey beach rides gained 100,000 signatures.
A recent petition has began to ban donkey rides in a Somerset seaside town. And in a northern seaside town, some parents were in uproar, as the local man giving donkey rides demands to weigh children before letting them ride his animals.
After he did this, he was inundated with support from the public, for trying to give better welfare. You can report welfare issues for concerns.
Make Lives Better for ‘Draught Animals’
So-called ‘draught animals’ are ones that are more used for work than tourism: donkeys, horses and camels are sometimes treated well, but often they work long hours with poor welfare (some communities still believe that splitting a donkey’s nostrils helps easier breathing).
Many of these poorer and less educated communities don’t have the knowledge or funds for good veterinary care, and often poverty means they work their animals to death. Sometimes camels are basically chained up, to turn around all day to bring water up from wells.
The charity SPANA that does wonderful work helping the animals, and giving free vet care and training local people in animal welfare (you can report concerns). It also organises emergency response like helping animals during natural disasters like earthquakes.
Worldwide Veterinary Services is another charity that uses donations to fund volunteer vets helping all kinds of animals abroad (including working draught animals).
Animal Aid Abroad helps all working animals including horses, donkeys and camels. Recently it has set up a camel sanctuary in India where camels have been treated, following cases of mange and maggot-infested wounds (due to old nose rings) or under their stomachs (due to saddle straps). Some also had treatment after being involved in road accidents.
Brooke is a similar charity that focuses on helping millions of working horses, donkeys and mules worldwide. And just as importantly, it trains thousands of those who work with animals including health care workers.
It has just launched three new vet clinics to help 20,000 animals in Ethiopia and has a page where you can report any concerns if on holiday abroad. It also has a book Sharing the Load (available as a download in several languages) to educate communities abroad on helping draught animals.
