Asian elephants used in tourism and remaining logging operations face serious welfare challenges from training methods, overwork, and inadequate rest.
Working elephants in the tourism industry occupy a spectrum from severely exploited to reasonably well-managed. At the harmful end, elephants broken through traditional domination methods, chained between tourist sessions, and forced to perform unnatural tricks suffer profound welfare harm. The emerging ethical tourism standard centers on observation-only sanctuaries where elephants roam in large semi-natural areas, socialize freely, and are managed through positive reinforcement. However, even well-intentioned sanctuaries vary enormously in actual welfare provision. The global demand for elephant tourist experiences drives a trade in wild-caught calves that devastates wild populations and imposes extreme welfare costs.