Stop Africa's Cruel Elephant Rides From Driving More Poaching

While elephant rides have been around in Asia for thousands of years, they've recently grown in popularity in southern Africa, particularly South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. And a new report warns that African elephant rides could fuel more poaching. Wild African elephants don't need this extra stress -- their habitat is being destroyed around them, and an elephant is poached every 15 minutes. At this rate, none will be left roaming in 2025.

Apart from more poaching, the budding African industry is condemning more elephants to a life of captivity. Baby elephants bred in captivity can be sold for as much as $60,000 to other African or Asian parks.

There's a long list of reasons why elephant rides are cruel to elephants: their spirits are systematically broken, they can be overworked, malnourished and dehydrated. Elephant rides can also be life-threatening experiences for handlers and unsuspecting tourists.

Sign and share this petition urging African leaders to stop these cruel elephant rides while the industry is still in its infancy. The elephants can still be transitioned back to the wild where they belong.