MandaLao insists on the elephant's voluntary interaction with guests at the sanctuary. The creatures are not chained and the mahouts don't use hooks with them.
Behind the scenes, these elephants have to be trained from youth. Many are separated from their mother and herd, later residing in captivity to be chained and trained according to the trainer's will. In the past, elephants were used for cultural and lifestyle purposes, then their existence was commercialised in the logging industry. But when logging was banned in 1991 in Thailand, the country was booming as a tourist destination which saw elephants and other animals becoming a big part of the tourism sector. People flocked to see tiger parks, monkey shows and ride on elephants. "From 8am to 3pm, nonstop," said Somsak. "All with a heavy saddle strapped on the elephant's body." Somsak further described that elephant shows and some riding violates the international Five Freedoms of animal welfare under human control, which states that animals should be free from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain, fear and distress, and that they get to express their natural behaviours.
WAP is now pushing for the "Wildlife, Not Entertainers" campaign so elephants can live naturally and be free from confinement and torture as part of their training. Hoping for MandaLao to become a role model for conservation in the region, WAP gave financial support to the sanctuary for the construction of its night enclosure for elephants on a 6 rai space that comes equipped with a solar-powered electric system, fences in parts that are connected to nearby communities, irrigation system and homes for mahouts. Other elephant sanctuaries that WAP has lent similar support to include Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary in Sukhothai and Elephant Valley Thailand in Chiang Rai. It is also working with tour agencies worldwide, with 188 companies now signing a pledge to no longer support elephant riding and shows.
www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/social-and-lifestyle/1459869/unshackling-gentle-giants
