The strong maternal bond between an elephant calf and its mother is well-documented. An elephant mother fiercely looks after its calf and teaches it the necessary social and life skills needed for survival. In the wild, the calf learns to engage in complex social behaviour and problem solving, that enriches it psychologically. However, in captivity a calf is deprived of this critical bond and a chance to learn these important life skills.
Elephants are mighty endangered species. India, with nearly 60% of the world’s few remaining wild Asian elephants, remains the last stronghold of this incredible species in the wild. Their numbers in the wild look bleak at merely 22,000-27,000. At this rate of loss, India could lose the entire wild elephant population in the next 5 to 10 years if steps are not taken to conserve and protect them. To lose the few remaining wild elephants to simply abuse them to fuel the tourism industry is not only extremely irresponsible, but it could also spell doom for the entire species.
WHEN YOU RIDE AN ELEPHANT, YOU ENCOURAGE AND CREATE DEMAND FOR ILLEGAL TRAFFICKING OF ELEPHANTS FROM THE WILD!
