Asian elephants used in timber operations in Southeast Asia are subjected to heavy labor, inadequate rest, and mahout practices that cause chronic physical and psychological stress.
Logging elephants are highly intelligent social animals forced into unnatural isolation and heavy labor. The phajaan breaking process involves physical restraint and pain designed to override natural behavior, causing lasting psychological harm. Even post-training, working elephants show stereotypies, aggression, and stress responses indicating poor welfare across the industry.