Elephant Experiences in Laos

Interacting with elephants while travelling in Asia and other regions is a complex and emotional topic. This became evident to a group of our Year 9 student travellers during a culture & service trip to Laos in February this year.

Whilst there is little opposition to horse riding or riding camels for that matter, riding elephants is no longer considered ethical and indeed it is the belief of many that all elephants ultimately belong in the wild.

I was looking forward to this part of the trip as I wanted to see elephants in their habitat. I have only seen them at the zoo before this. I understand the arguments about elephants –  about the problems of people interacting properly with them and it would be unfortunate to come to Laos and not be able to see them. I really think the centre does a great job of teaching people about these beautiful animals and hope they’ll always be here for people to see and learn about.

What is the best way for students to learn about elephants and see them?

In Laos and parts of Thailand, elephants are still used in various activities and have been bred and trained for logging purposes, despite this practice being illegal. Logging elephants endure harsh and brutal lives, pulling massive trees from deep within the jungle. Many well-meaning individuals advocate for a complete boycott of centres with elephants and for making all forms of elephant tourism unlawful.

Today, nearly all elephant organizations in Southeast Asia, as well as in South Asia (India and beyond)—including rehabilitation centres, sanctuaries, and zoos—are aware of the global community’s concerns about elephant experiences. These organizations aim to implement positive changes, provide better living conditions and care for elephants, and encourage the broader tourism industry to adopt ethical practices. They strive to cease exploitative activities, raise care standards, and offer memorable, non-harmful experiences for visitors.

Elephants require significant resources for their care, including food, healthcare, and veterinary services. The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) acknowledges that revenue generated through tourism helps provide the necessary care for elephants. Without these not-for-profit establishments committed to ethical practices, fewer elephants would survive. They further support the notion that simply ceasing support would result in a loss of capacity to encourage awareness of these fragile creatures and stifle the potential for change and progress.

These new ethical and sustainable approaches to elephant tourism were evident to our students who visited a Laotian elephant sanctuary in 2024.  They had an experience conducted with the utmost care, respect, and consideration for the welfare of the elephants.

Activities such as observing, feeding, walking, and communicating with the elephants are what can be expected during visits to these important preservation centres in the future.

FOOTNOTE: Laos today has only 34 resident elephants and 50 wild ones, on a 6,000-hectare section of a National Protected Area in the north of Laos (and part of Thailand). The future of Laos’s elephants is under threat with an urgent need to safeguard the remaining elephants and create a breeding programme for them if Laos wants to maintain a self-perpetuating population and avoid extinction of its elephants, the number of births must increase dramatically. (ref: IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group 2023)