Part 2

-by Hannah Fowler

Elephants: Broken Spirits Behind the Rides

Now let’s talk about another popular tourist activity: elephant rides. These experiences are often sold as serene and majestic, but the training that makes them possible is anything but.

To make an elephant submissive enough to carry tourists, they go through a brutal taming process. The psychological scars from this abuse last a lifetime. Even after “training,” elephants used in the tourism industry spend their days carrying tourists for hours under the hot sun, often without rest, proper nourishment, or medical care. At night, they’re shackled and isolated, unable to move freely or socialize with other elephants. What looks like fun for tourists is, in reality, a life of silent suffering for the elephant.

Tigers in Cages, Not Jungles

Tiger selfie parks are another troubling piece of the puzzle. Tourists are often invited to pose with tigers in small cages — tigers that have been torn from their mothers shortly after birth, abused to ensure submission, and confined to barren enclosures.Some parks even go as far as removing their teeth and claws, inflicting irreversible damage for the sake of a few Instagram likes. These are not conservation centers. These are businesses profiting from animal misery.