Captive Animal Welfare

Wild Elephant Capture for Tourism and Training

Capturing wild elephants for tourism and training involves severe welfare harms including removal from social groups, restraint, and breaking of natural behavior through fear-based training methods.

Key Facts

Wild elephant capture causes deaths from stress and injury during the capture process
Captured elephants are subjected to phajaan — a breaking process using starvation and restraint
Elephants removed from wild social groups lose complex family bonds they maintain for decades
Baby elephants captured from the wild in Myanmar fuel the tourism industry in Southeast Asia
CITES Appendix I listing has not stopped wild capture for captive trade completely

Welfare Considerations

Wild elephant capture is one of the most welfare-damaging practices in the captive animal industry. The capture process is traumatic for both the captured individual and the remaining social group. Subsequent training through fear and pain breaks the animals will to resist human commands. Even after training, elephants retain trauma that manifests in behavioral abnormalities throughout their long lives in captivity.

What You Can Do

Never visit any facility that uses wild-caught elephants or shows signs of fear-based training
Report suspected wild capture of elephants to CITES national authorities
Support organizations investigating wild capture pipelines in Southeast Asia
Choose genuinely ethical elephant sanctuaries that prohibit all riding and performances