Asian elephants have been used in logging and tourism for centuries. Their welfare in working contexts varies enormously and is shaped by training methods, workload, and social conditions.
The welfare of working elephants spans a vast spectrum from the severely abused to the genuinely well-cared-for. The critical determinant is training method. Phajaan — the traditional breaking process involving restraint, starvation, and beating to break the elephant spirit — produces compliant but traumatised animals exhibiting PTSD-like symptoms for life. Positive reinforcement training produces equally manageable but psychologically intact individuals. The commercial viability of ethical elephant tourism has been demonstrated by camps across Thailand that generate revenue without riding or shows. Consumer choices have direct power to shift this industry.