Elephants will no longer be taken for a ride at Chiang Mai camp

04 Jun 2018 2060 | World Travel News

Chiang Mai’s Happy Elephant Care Valley has entered an MoU with animal welfare charity World Animal Protection to end all physical interaction between tourists and elephants at the camp.

The transformation is supported by a coalition of leaders in the travel industry, including Tui Group, The Travel Corporation (TTC), Intrepid Group, G Adventures, Exo Travel and Thomas Cook Group.

World Animal Protection and travel company leaders are working with Happy Elephant Care Valley to transition their current camp into a place where elephants will have the freedom to be elephants instead of entertainers. Photo credit: World Animal Protection / Nick Axelrod

The elephants at Happy Elephant Care Valley were previously from farms and riding camps. Until recently it was possible for close interaction between tourists and the elephants at the venue, with tourists being able to ride, bathe and feed elephants. This stopped when the travel industry coalition presented a business case demonstrating the rise of elephant-friendly tourism.

The transition will take place throughout 2018, with the camp tentatively expected to be ready for re-opening by end-2018 or early-2019. Following the transformation, elephants at the camp will be able to behave as they would in the wild; free to roam the valley, graze and bathe in rivers as tourists experience these wonders, standing at a safe distance.

Josey Kitson, executive director at World Animal Protection Canada, said: “Through the support of the world’s leading travel companies we are proving that elephant-friendly venues, those without forced and dangerous interactions with wildlife, make both ethical and financial sense for camp owners.