You’ll Never Take An Elephant Ride Again After Finding Out The Torture The Poor Animals Go Through

Introduction

Most of us have took an elephant ride at least once in our lives. Swaying back and forth as you carefully hold the iron rods on the back of this giant yet gentle animal, with wind blowing through your hair, it's indeed one hell of a fun ride.

#1 You haven't even realised how this giant animal made to submit to humans?

Did it ever cross your mind that this innocent animal, which is supposed to roam around freely in the wild, has been reduced to a source of business and fun for humans?

If your heart is in the right place, by the end of this article, you'll never take an elephant ride again.

#2 They are kept in chains and are continuously beaten with stick during the training

An elephant can rip a human's head apart. Still it serves for us. The reason behind this is that taming elephants is a cruel process. They're separated from their herd when they're too young, kept in captivity, tied in chains and starved for days to break their spirit. This inhuman treatment of beating and poking them with sharp rods continues till they finally give in and obey the instructions of their trainers.

#3 The saddle on an elephant's back weighs more than 100 kgs

If you've ever took an elephant ride, you must have noticed a huge metal chair strapped on its back to make a comfortable seating arrangement for people. This metal chair or saddle weighs more than 100 kgs.

#4 You can't imagine how discomfortable it is for elephant

Looking at the enormous size of elephants, none of us really bother about the elephant's discomfort under the weight of 4-5 people sitting on a saddle, which itself weighs more than a ton.

#5 And the worse part is this

The elephant has to wear the heavy saddle even when it's not carrying people around because it's difficult for the mahouts to put it back on it after every ride.

And while we have a joyride on the Jumbo's back, the elephant is on the receiving end of repeated stabbings and pokings from its mahouts with a spiked rod called Ankush. The mahout inflicts pain on sensitive areas to train and steer them.

#6 This point is perfectly described by Carol Buckley, CEO of Elephant Aid International, in her Facebook post

According to Carol, "Elephants are not anatomically designed to carry weight on their back. They have evolved to support a mass amount of weight suspended below their spine.

When you examine this skeleton you clearly see the spine is not like many mammals. Instead of smooth, round spinal disks, elephants have sharp bony protrusions that extend upwards from their spine. These bony protrusions and the tissue protecting them are vulnerable to weight and pressure coming from above."

"I feel clearly demonstrates why elephants can suffer when forced to wear a saddle and carry a load."

So, the next time you're visiting a place that offers a fancy elephant safari, reminded this article.