Illegal elephant ring in Thailand

[Charlotte]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/22/thailand-elephant-illegal-ring

I suspect that this is just the tip of the iceberg.  The elephants you see as a tourist in Thailand are usually treated appallingly badly by their handlers and the 'training' methods are hideous and barbaric.  These gentle creatures deserve far, far better.

If you're going on holiday to Thailand and you ever feel like taking an elephant ride, I strongly recommend reading about what they call 'kraal' or 'elephant crushing' first.

[Ham]

I'm just back, and I did and I did (read about the issues and then ride).

I found and used a local company http://www.pandatourchiangmai.com/# Panda Tours who operate and use their own facilities, for the elephant training and trekking. The whole thing is integrated with the local villages, and you at least feel you are putting something back. I have no reason to suspect that the text on the front page is anything other than genuine, it fits everything we saw and heard.