CAPTIVE ELEPHANTS
ELEPHANTS
IN
ASIAN
CULTURE
&
SOCIETY The treatment and use of captive elephants in the tourism industry in Asia is a pressing ethical concern for us. There are over 10,000 captive elephants in Asia and elephant-related activities have been an important source of income for local communities for hundreds of years. Furthermore, elephants have historically been revered and are culturally significant to the extent that many still seek blessings from and make offerings to them. They have fought wars on behalf of ancient kings, helped construct temples and continue to play an important role in human society.
