Elephant rides look fun, but Wildlife SOS wants tourists to rethink them
- Wildlife SOS, an animal welfare organisation, is urging tourists to stop elephant rides, saying the animals can face long-term physical and psychological harm.
- The organisation says elephants may be captured as calves, separated from their herds and subjected to harsh training before being used for rides.
- A howdah can weigh about 200 kg, and with tourists aboard, the total load can exceed 300 kg, putting pressure on elephants’ bodies.
- At Jaipur’s Amer Fort, elephant rides fell from 1.08 lakh in 2019-20 to 48,474 in 2025-26 as visitor choices change.
Source: thebetterindia.com
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