Thailand is home to many diverse ranges of exotic animals such as the elephants, pangolins, gibbons and tigers. Yet one of the urgent problems we are facing is the abuse of elephants in Thailand.

   The national animal of Thailand, elephants are revered and have been a crucial part of Thai society for centuries such as being vessels for transport in times of war or going to war as horses for people to ride on its back. In times of war elephants were imprisoned and tasked with heavy and dutiful manual labor, being harmful to their health. After the war they were not needed for manual labor anymore as technology has progressed, so the tourism and entertainment industries have laborious job opportunities. This leads us to where we are today. Elephants to many Thai’s hold a special place in their hearts as they are synonymous with peace, unity and tranquility yet they are still being endangered because of the effects of tourism. A study done in 2015 worked out that 86% of the captive elephants in Thailand are living in unacceptable and inadequate conditions.

   In lieu of the recent spike in tourism, captive elephants work harder than before and are often forced to paint with their trunks on canvas, perform tricks for shows such as kicking footballs into the goal or blocking them with their trunks, letting tourist sit on their backs and swim. There are still huge consequences for these majestic creatures, for example putting weight on an elephant’s back is harmful, because their skin sits right on top of bone leaving them with deformed spines. Moreover, sometimes to familiarize the elephants with humans, trainers often separate the baby from its mother, putting it in a cage and tying the elephant up so it is compliant enough to interact with humans. Currently, Thailand is still slow to legislate laws for the elephants. Under Thai law, elephants are still classed as "working animals'', the legislation forces owners of captive elephants to send in DNA samples to the national elephant database and also ensures that new elephant births are registered, allowing the authorities to a certain point monitor the welfare of Thailand's estimated 3800 working elephants. Yet there is still a long way to go, with a Chiang Mai University study published in 2021 finding that more than half of the elephants in Chiang Mai tourist facilities have nervous tics that may reflect anxiety, frustration, and or boredom.

   Currently, there is no better solution to incentivize change other than informing tourist friends and relatives to avoid these elephant shows and visit more ethical tourist attractions. Though there is a positive outlook as more and more tourists have become aware of the animal abuse happening and avoiding such places. Thailand still needs a more permanent and sustainable solution to protect these gentle animals.