Most of us have took an elephant ride at least once in our lives. Swaying back and forth as you carefully hold the iron rods on the back of this giant yet gentle animal, with wind blowing through your hair, it’s indeed one hell of a fun ride.
But did it ever cross your mind that this innocent animal, which is supposed to roam around freely in the wild, has been reduced to a source of business and fun for humans?
If your heart is in the right place, by the end of this article, you’ll never take an elephant ride again.
Elephants are kept in chains and beaten with sticks during training
An elephant is a giant animal. It can rip a human’s head apart. How then, do you think, is this mighty animal made to submit to humans?
Taming elephants is a cruel process. They’re separated from their herd when they’re too young, kept in captivity, tied in chains and starved for days to break their spirit. This inhuman treatment of beating and poking them with sharp rods continues till they finally give in and obey the instructions of their trainers.
The saddle on an elephant’s back weighs more than 100 kgs
If you’ve ever took an elephant ride, you must have noticed a huge metal chair strapped on its back to make a comfortable seating arrangement for people. This metal chair or saddle weighs more than 100 kgs.
Looking at the enormous size of elephants, none of us really bother about the elephant’s discomfort under the weight of 4-5 people sitting on a saddle, which itself weighs more than a ton.
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Imagine the painful drill that an elephant goes through everyday. The massive animal first lowers down for riders to climb on its back. Then it gets up carrying tons of weight just so that a bunch of people can have some fun. And this happens countless times a day.
And you know what’s worse? The elephant has to wear the heavy saddle even when it’s not carrying people around because it’s difficult for the mahouts to put it back on it after every ride.
This point is perfectly described by Carol Buckley, CEO of Elephant Aid International, in her Facebook post where she describes how an elephant’s back is not meant to carry heavy weights.
The saddle ruptures the elephant’s skin causing severe wounds
Can we even imagine the pain that the animal goes through as the straps used to hold the saddle continue to rub against its skin every time it walks and carries people around. This continuous rubbing causes severe sores and wounds on their body.
Not just this, because these animals are kept captive in confined spaces and spend a lot of time standing on hard surfaces, many of them develop arthritis and other foot diseases.
Mahouts use spiked stick to control them
And while we have a joyride on the Jumbo’s back, the elephant is on the receiving end of repeated stabbings and pokings from its mahouts with a spiked rod called Ankush. The mahout inflicts pain on sensitive areas to train and steer them.
So, the next time you’re visiting a place that offers a fancy elephant safari, reminded this article.