Elephant Rides In Thailand Have Got To End

The tragic story of the death of a hero tour guide who tried to stop an elephant on a rampage is renewing calls for Thailand to ban one of it's most famous tourist attractions.

For years, part of going to Thailand meant great food, beautiful culture, and elephant rides. But more and more travelers are becoming aware of the dangers and cruelty of the elephant parks that offer exciting "adventure" on the backs of animals that are often treated cruelly and overworked.

These parks are not only inhumane, but they are dangerous as tourists recently saw when a scared elephant bolted after its tail had been yanked by a tourist and trampled a tour guide who was trying to protect his group.

According to witnesses, when excited tourists saw the elephant they gathered around it to take selfies and that's when one of them pulled the 17-year-olds tail sending making him panic and ending the life of guide Yongjie He.

After the incident, one mahout —elephant handler — said: "I've known this elephant since he was small and he has never hurt anyone."

But elephants are inherently wild, and you can never really know them. They don't belong in an animal park and definitely shouldn't be forced to give rides to hundreds of tourists a day who have no training as to how to treat them. Incidents like this will continue to happen until Thailand bans these types of parks and treat the elephant with the respect they deserve.

Add your name to the list and ask the Kingdom of Thailand to put an end to Elephant Ride Parks. Together we can create a better life for elephants and a safer environment for tourists and guides alike.