PETA Global 2018 Issue 1

PETA Campaigns to End Elephant Rides

beaten

When appalled tourists contacted PETA India to report that they’d witnessed the vicious beating of an elephant outside the famous sandstone palace called the Amber Fort, staffers immediately contacted government officials to try to locate the elephant and get cruelty charges brought against her abusers. Abuse is the norm at this top tourist destination in Jaipur, India, built on a hill that more than 100 elephants are forced to plod up and down, endlessly carrying visitors on their backs. The mahouts (handlers) carry heavy sticks to keep the animals obedient and fearful, and as PETA’s veterinarian Dr. Heather Rally – who traveled to the fort and filed

a government report – wrote: “Many are suffering from serious, even life-threatening, foot disease. Some are also nearly blind. When not toiling, elephants are chained for hours on end so tightly that they’re unable to move more than a step in any direction.” Businesses Cutting Ties Shortly after PETA broke the story – and citing PETA’s reports – New York–based tour operator smarTours, which had offered these rides for decades, dropped them. “It’s not worth endorsing … some really significant mistreatment of animals,” the company’s co-CEO Greg Geronemus said.

“The animals were all engaging in behaviors that indicate extreme stress, including head bobbing, trunk swinging, kicking the legs back and forth, and swaying.” – Heather Rally, D.V.M.

All of PETA’s international affiliates are working hard to get elephant-ride promotions stopped, and dozens of tour companies, including Costco Travel and STA Travel, have stopped offering them or any other activities that exploit elephants. Following discussions with PETA, travel industry giant TripAdvisor – which also owns Viator, a leading resource for booking travel experiences worldwide – stopped booking excursions in which any wild animals are forced to have contact with the public, including elephant rides.

and PETA Asia has released a widely shared video featuring Chinese actor Du Chun explaining why compassionate people should not ride elephants. Tourists who go on these rides help consign deeply social and intelligent animals to a life of misery and servitude. Wherever you go, remember that every ride taken directly contributes to elephants’ suffering.

exploited

Take Action Now Visit PETA.org/ElephantRides to urge those few companies still promoting

Getting the word out about the cruelty inherent in elephant rides is vital to the campaign worldwide,

elephant rides to stop.

16 RIDE WITHOUT THE HIDE