New Footage Reveals Baby Elephants Tortured for Tourism Industry ‘Training’
Horrific undercover footage of the infamous technique known as ‘the crush’ captured on camera for first time in decades.
Elephant camp in Thailand. Credit: Amy Jones / Moving Animals
Animal welfare campaigners have released shocking footage showing the infamous ‘crush’ technique that continues to be used to tame elephants for use in the tourism industry.
The ‘crush’ refers to the cruel training process whereby elephants are subjected to days of torture, in order to make them submissive enough to interact with tourists.
As part of the process, calves are forcibly taken away from their mothers, forced to live in isolation in narrow wooden enclosures, and hit repeatedly with sharp metal hooks.
Whilst the technique has been used for decades, the lucrative wildlife tourism industry has often dismissed the torture as isolated incidents that rarely happen today.
But now the new footage, captured over two years in Thailand between 2018 and 2020, shows over eight baby elephants being subjected to the ‘crush’.
The distressed baby elephants are shown bound by rope, and are heard crying while being beaten repeatedly.
Campaign group World Animal Protection, who captured the footage, have called for a complete overhaul for how captive elephants are treated.
Audrey Mealia, Global Head of Wildlife at World Animal Protection said: “For too long, these intelligent, sociable, creatures have been the victims of a cruel trade that rips baby elephants from their mothers and family groups.”
“Instead they are destined for a life of suffering and brutality behind the scenes, cruelly exploited as entertainers under the guise of innocent fun for visitors. Tourists are duped into believing they are helping these elephants and the conservation of the species, while in reality, they are creating the demand for such activities.”
With over 2,800 captive elephants across Thailand alone, these changes cannot come soon enough.
“The tourism industry has come to a halt in the wake of Covid-19 but it will rebuild – this is the ideal opportunity to build a better future”, adds Mealia.
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