Thousands of Asian elephants are kept for tourism and traditional work. The welfare of working elephants depends critically on management methods, with traditional breaking techniques causing severe trauma.
Captive Asian elephants kept for tourism experience welfare conditions ranging from excellent to severely abusive. The traditional phajaan breaking process causes severe psychological trauma from which elephants never fully recover — behavioral symptoms including rocking and swaying in formerly broken elephants persist throughout their lives. Positive training methods have demonstrated that elephants can be managed safely without phajaan, but adoption requires significant investment in handler training and institutional commitment. Consumer choices have enormous leverage: elephant tourism that involves rides and performances funds the most welfare-compromising practices.