Changing trends in elephant camp management in northern Thailand and implications for welfare
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Elephant camps are among the most attractive destinations in Thailand for tourists from many countries. A wide range of management strategies are used by these camps, which can have varied impacts on health and welfare of elephants. METHODS: This study surveyed 33 camps with 627 elephants in northern Thailand to quantify the types of management practices and work activities experienced by captive elephants. The survey consisted of an interview with camp owners, and direct observations of camp operations. RESULTS: Data revealed considerable variation in elephant demographics, work activities, elephant care (i.e., housing, restraint, nutrition, health care, and breeding), and mahout management among the camps. In general, older camps (those in existence for >16 years) were involved in more intensive activities, like riding with saddles and shows. By contrast, newer camps provided more one-on-one activities for tourists and elephants, and emphasized more intimate, relaxing experiences (e.g., feeding, bathing, walking) than entertainment. A demographic shift also was observed, with elephants 20 years of age and younger having a sex ratio closer to 1:1 compared to elephants in older age categories (1:4.1-1:9.8). DISCUSSION: Shifts in elephant management to less intensive activities were observed, which could have positive implications for elephant welfare. The shifting sex ratio suggests successful captive breeding is resulting in the birth of more males, which could present new welfare challenges in the future, because bulls can be more difficult to manage and socialize, and are more likely to be kept isolated during musth. Ultimately, the goal is to understand how camp activities affect welfare, and to develop science-based guidelines and standards to aid in the management of both male and female elephants used in tourism.
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Camp elephants are often managed in free contact where elephants and people share the same space, including with tourists.
“In contrast, camp elephants are often managed in free contact where elephants and people share the same space, including with tourists (60).”
From Comparison of animal welfare assessment tools and methodologies: need for an effective approach for captive elephants in Asia (2024) · cites this paper as [60]
Government regulations are often inadequate to protect elephant welfare or have not been effectively implemented or enforced.
“Unfortunately, government regulations are often inadequate to protect elephant welfare or have not been effectively implemented or enforced (Fernando et al., 2011;Bansiddhi et al., 2018;Baker & Winkler, 2020”
From Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications (2024) · cites this paper as Bansiddhi et al., 2018
Daily routines for camp elephants involve tourist-related tasks such as shows, riding, walking, bathing, feeding, or observation.
“Daily routines involve tourist-related tasks such as shows, riding, walking, bathing, feeding, or observation (60).”
From Comparison of animal welfare assessment tools and methodologies: need for an effective approach for captive elephants in Asia (2024) · cites this paper as [60]
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- Authors
- Bansiddhi, P., Brown, J. L., Thitaram, C., Punyapornwithaya, V., Somgird, C., Edwards, K. L., & Nganvongpanit, K.
- Affiliations
- Chiang Mai University (TH)
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Thitaram, Chatchote
- Nganvongpanit, Korakot
- ORCID
- Venue
- PeerJ
- Publisher
- PeerJ
- Published
- 2018-11-23
- Volume
- 6
- Pages
- e5996
- ISSN
- 2167-8359 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6254247
- OpenAlex
- W2901124928
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 5
- FWCI
- 8.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- PeerJ (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT)
- Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. program
- Thailand Research Fund (TRF)
- Center of Excellence in Elephant and Wildlife Research, Chiang Mai University
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Keywords
- captive elephants, elephant welfare, tourism, Mahout, captive breeding, sex ratio, musth, restraint, northern Thailand, management practices
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