A one-year-old Asian elephant was rescued from shackles in Laos. But why was the elephant chained?
Unfortunately, many of Asian elephants are exploited in the logging, entertainment, and tourism industries, working long days and being lashed for noncompliance.
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It’s not hard to see why elephants are used as laborers and entertainers – they are the largest living land animals.
Beyond circuses, elephants are used in the tourism industry to give rides to tourists, participate in parades, and perform tricks in public. What tourists don’t see is that the elephants have to perform under constant threat of being whipped, beaten, and chained up.
Similarly, elephants are held captive for their use as laborers. Employing elephants as work animals dates back at least 4,500 years to the Indus Valley Civilization, what is now modern-day North Africa and South Asia.
Today, there are fewer than 52,000 Asian elephants left in the wild, and an estimated 15,000 in captivity – of which most are employed in work camps or the tourism industry.
There is a glimmer of hope for the captive elephants. There are many organizations dedicated to fighting for animal rights, with several dedicated to fighting for elephant rights.
These organizations function to raise awareness about the threats facing elephants, advocate for support from governments in protecting these gentle creatures, negotiate with handlers to rescue some captive elephants, and provide safe havens for them to live peacefully.