You CAN Make A Difference

I have spent a wonderful month on the road...Murter to Sibenik to Zagreb by bus, return flight to Bangkok, Bangkok to Siem Reap to Phnom Penh to Don Det to Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang by bus, Luang Prabang to Chang Khong by boat, to Pai to Chiang Mai to Bangkok by bus...lots of ground covered! And lots can be said about this route, but here is something that affected me most - not even the actual experience but the notion that something like this exists:

This is why every tuk-tuk in Chiang Mai had 'Tiger Kingdom' written on it and what every driver was pointing at, because naturally (!) we have come there to watch these magnificent beasts chained and sedated, and to take a photo with them so we can brag (about what exactly..?!) at home. It astounds me, the amount of people who support this kind of tourism. I just can't...fathom human behaviour. It is becoming more and more difficult the older I get. One would think you can become numb with time...but we shouldn't become numb!

It is a different and yet morally similar story with riding elephants. I was looking forward to seeing these impressive animals once I get to Asia, alas...it was so difficult to find a place that treats them with dignity. Again, such a small percentage of people (in reviews online) who noticed or cared about elephants being chained and/or probed with a hook. You don't really need to read any reviews to come up with a thought that riding elephants isn't a natural state of things. Some days before setting off I have received a postcard showing an elephant painting an elephant (!) like an artist - again, you don't need to think long to realise something has been done to train them, and it couldn't have been pleasant. So why, WHY are humans supporting this - because yes, by paying someone to put that uncomfortable seat on elephant's back or to put that painting brush into its trunk, you are supporting this unnatural order of things. One could argue, nothing new among humans. Yes, nothing new...

So I haven't seen a single elephant in SE Asia, except a sculpture in a wat garden...
Which doesn't mean that it can't be done, with enough research and on-time reservation <3