Kuala Gandah elephant tourism needs to change

Updated 7 years ago · Published on 15 Sep 2018 9:30AM · 3 Comments

THANKS to social media, mistreatment in archaic elephant tourism and entertainment facilities, including zoos, is now common knowledge. As part of their training, these gentle giants are often exposed to harrowing physical and psychological abuse to prepare them for tourists.

This method of training, which frequently involves the use of bullhooks, is often imposed as elephants need to be forced to fear and respect their keepers so that the animals can be used for unsavoury tourism practices through physical dominance of the keeper.

With this in mind, it is important that elephant facilities in Malaysia, such as the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, evolve and adopt humane elephant tourism practices. Photos show elephants at the sanctuary with wounds and scars on their head as a result of being hit by a bullhook. And unbeknown to tourists, there are elephants at the sanctuary chained out of public sight. These facts raise serious questions about how elephants are treated there.

The bullhook is a common tool used in the elephant tourism industry to force compliance from elephants. It is an example of a harmful standard of care and elephants cannot cope with this. But it is a perennial control tool at the sanctuary, when not hidden away.

Recently, Vietnam’s Yok Don National Park made major changes to its elephant tourism practices. Visitors can now only follow, watch and learn how elephants live in their forest home. Even the use of chains has been eliminated. As they are allowed to roam freely, the elephants are not subjected to human dominance and mistreatment any longer. Governments are beginning to understand this is what tourists prefer to see; free elephants behaving naturally in wide areas.

What this means is that elephant facilities that still use elephants for tourism activities, such as bathing and shows, leads to questionable welfare practices. Evidence of maltreatment and abuse is now widely available on the internet.

A keeper riding an elephant bearing scars of mistreatment on its head. The bullhook is a common tool used in the elephant tourism industry to force compliance from elephants. – September 15, 2018.

Our new government needs to take action and stop outdated tourism practices, including shows and elephant bathing with tourists at Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. There is more money to be made from ethical elephant tourism as more tourists demand this. Tourism operators will also benefit financially. Elephants can live freely and happily. It is a win-win situation for all.

While under the control of the previous government, the sanctuary had also been supplying elephants to dreadful zoos. Unless zoos can provide a chain-free environment with tens of hectacres of forested enclosures to a herd of elephants, the new government must instantly ban all transfers of elephants to zoos. Most, if not all, zoos here keep elephants for profit but in poor condition, as has been proven repeatedly.

In July, the Wildlife Department, Perhilitan, transferred Lasah the elephant to the sanctuary after years of suffering in Langkawi. Perhilitan needs to update the public on the health and welfare of Lasah and what future plan for him are.

We also urge the public to stop visiting elephant facilities in Malaysia that use elephants for rides, shows, keep them in small enclosures and chain them, until these places adopt ethical elephant tourism practices, like at Yok Don National Park. – September 15, 2018.

Elephants are gentle giants that deserve to live free from chains and torture. – September 15, 2018.

* Jennifer Yeap is a member of Malaysian Friends of the Animals.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.

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Comments

  • Stop the activity. Stop this kind of cruelty to animals.

    Posted 7 years ago by Will Be Humble · Reply

  • The Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary is run by rescuers - those who have gone in and rescued elephants that have wandered into human a environment. Why do the elephants wander there? Because of deforestation and human interference in their habitat. Why do Kuala Gandah rescue them? Because otherwise the elephants would get killed. The Kuala Gandah Sanctuary tried to raise money to fund the rescues and care for the elephants, not for profit. It is very different from the Thailand facilities that are there as tourist entertainment. The older elephants that perform the show do only 3 things that elephants do naturally in the wild - they dont perform any acts that would have to be taught. Kuala Gandah doesnt have the space that Yok Don National Park has to let the elephants roam free, but they do have large enclosed areas where the elephants roam unchained inside. They dont have the space and funds to keep all the elephants they rescue, so are forced to give some that cant cope in the wild to zoos. They release many elephants back into Taman Negara, but that conservation area isnt protected sufficiently. Kuala Gandah have made improvements to their Sanctuary over the years, but Im sure there is more they could improve upon. Instead of asking people to boycott them, could we please:
    Pressurise the government to stop the deforestation;
    Ask that Taman Negara is better protected;
    Ask that the Kuala Gandah Sanctuary be given protected land where the animals could roam free;
    Visit the Sanctuary and ask them questions ourselves about the care of the animals there, so they know we are concerned and watching.

    Posted 7 years ago by Catherine Leyow · Reply

  • Thanks for this article. I'd heard about this 'sanctuary' about slightly over a year ago and I was interested to visit, but a friend of mine had gone earlier this year and told me it was incredibly distressing. I see a lot of complaints on the Trip Advisor page, but they're drowned out by all the sparkling 5 star reviews. This cruelty must stop and the sanctuary should be turned into an ACTUAL sanctuary.

    Jennifer, please consider the advice from Catherine Leyow in the comments. Boycotting is one thing, but at least also look into a way forward and a beneficial solution for the elephants already there. Thank you.

    Posted 7 years ago by G F · Reply