Riding elephants is #animalcruelty...EXCEPT when it's not

Riding elephants is cruel, wherever you find yourself in the world. The process of breaking wild elephants for tourism - so humans can ride them for Instagram bragging rights - is inhumane.

In Asia, the plight of the elephants is even more grim and complex. The elephants we work with in remote Northern Myanmar have been used by the logging industry since colonial times, to haul giant teak logs from once expansive old growth forests. Until 2014 that is, when logging was finally banned in Myanmar, where only 20% of primary forests are left.

While conservationists celebrate this environmental win, the ban has also sent over 5,000 domesticated timber elephants into partial or full unemployment. Meanwhile, their mahouts (caretakers) have lost their income and thus ability to fully cover the costs of feeding their families and caring for the elephants, which includes vet expenses and meds to keep the animals healthy in a very remote jungle area of the country (yes, they have elephant vets in the forests!)

Leaving the fate of domesticated elephants in the wild to natural consequences is a risky proposition. Poachers are as active as ever given this country's proximity to China, where demand for ivory and elephant skin (now an ingredient for facial creams and jewelry) continues to grow. Abandoned elephants go feral, leading to conflicts with locals when they cause destruction to farms, villages and homes. Such confrontations usually don’t end up well for the animals.

Tribu Collective believes that carefully designed elephant-assisted journeys can be part of the solution to the huge issue of unemployed elephants being faced by Myanmar Timber Enterprise, the entity that controls all timber elephants in Myanmar. In our multi-day journeys which do not include riding elephants-except by the mahouts that live with them, retired/unemployed timber elephants and their mahouts are paid to assist on a trek that educates travellers about the wildlife and elephant ecology of the area. Our brand of #ecotourism is designed in partnership with the local governments and people, placing elephant well-being and mahout expertise at the centre of all activity, while also demonstrating to communities that protecting wildlife and traditional culture can be a sustainable source of income where it is needed most - at the village level.

We will continue to work with local heroes like Aung Myo Chit, leading #wildlife #conservationist in Myanmar, to help redirect and preserve productivity of both mahouts and elephants outside the world of logging. #conservationtourism, #ecotourism and training them for #wildlife patrols are just a few ways Aung and his partner NGOs are moving this effort forward. There is a lot of work to be done, but the hope and determination of Aung and the communities he supports is strong.

Tribu Collective also donates a portion of our Myanmar | Wildlife Conservation trip fees to Human Elephant Peace, a local NGO in Northern Myanmar, to support the ongoing need to radio collar wild elephants. We do this because we envision a world where all elephants roam wild in the jungles of Asia and savannas of Africa, without the threat of poachers or selfie stick-carrying humans hitching a ride on their backs.