Do not ride the elephants –

We’ve all seen that epic shot of a couple riding through a tropical forest on top of an elephant and thought that would be cool. Well, it is not; not for the elephants. The process of “training” an elephant to be ridden is one of the most disgusting acts of animal cruelty you will see. It’s easy to be upset at the people who most of the time kill the parents of a baby elephant, torture it until it’s spirit is broken and then beat it when it acts out of line, but the real culprit is the tourist who demands to ride an elephant. If there’s no demand, then the cruelty towards these wonderful animals will stop.

Even if you aren’t traveling you can still help. Educate your Facebook friends when they post pictures of themselves on elephants. Here’s a good article to share with your friends http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/travel/tripadvisor-to-stop-selling-tickets-to-many-animal-attractions.html.

Elephant ecotourism –

To experience the elephants we spent a day at the Elephant Nature Park. Set in the Chiang Mai province of Northern Thailand, they provide a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants who were once used in the circus, street shows, as rides and in the logging industry.

First, we learned how to feed them while on an elevated platform.

Then, we got to meet two older ladies and just hang out, pet and feed them up close and personal. One of the gals has a horrible twisted looking ankle that is an old injury from her logging days. She was forced to continue to work for years until she was rescued.

A big herd was being moved through and they have an adorable 4 month baby boy. These guys were just for looking, no touching.

Probably the best part of the day was watching this dude wanting to cool off in the river! Just like on Animal Planet, he rolled around and splashed himself with his trunk.

After a long hard day, the elephants are pretty dirty. Luckily Isabelle brought a bucket!