Diana Edelman
Stuart, you are absolutely correct. In the past year, I have seen a shift towards more responsible options of elephant tourism. Taking the lead from Lek and working with her, a camp down the street began to implement a program where their visitors simply get to watch them eat, and then go on a jungle trek with them, then watch them hang in the jungle, then go to Elephant Nature Park. Even a camp near ENP, which had previously been trekking, ditched the concept and now offers walks like their neighbor. More and more camps are seeing this as a viable option. They can charge a good deal of money for this, earn the respect of travelers and actually keep their elephants healthier and happier. While it is a slow change, this more responsible type of elephant tourism is a viable alternative to the current practices.
I started my blog because I wanted to write, plain and simple. I couldn't sleep one night and had a story from my travels floating in my head, and so, five years ago, the blog was born. I never imagined it would take me anywhere or I would be in any way, shape or form successful. But, something happens when you are doing something you love; you want to do more and more of it. Soon, the blog took on its own life and instead of going through the wash-rinse-repeat of my career, I quit and traveled and wrote.
My definition of success is being happy and living my life ... and being able to do what I love, which is write. It isn't always easy, but I do consider myself successful in that I am able to write and get paid for it. Is it enough to live in the western world? Nope. But in Thailand, it works for me and has treated me to so many other opportunities.
Ultimately, I want to work for me, which I largely do now.
I want to be paid by clients who hire me to write, by sponsors and advertisers who want to align themselves with my brand, and eventually, by readers buying my books.
Eventually, I would like to just focus on writing travel narrative and books ... but right now, that doesn't pay the bills.
There are definitely signs from which to take hope. Having worked in responsible elephant tourism for a few years, I have seen a shift taking place. With a lot of help from organizations like Save Elephant Foundation, trekking camps are switching their model from one of riding to simply walking with the elephants and observing them. In addition, thanks to educational campaigns and guidebooks/tour operators beginning to take more firm stances on riding, tourists are beginning to change their ways as well.
That being said, there is still a huge demand for riding and other animal activities. Despite news stories which shed light on animals in captivity and the abuse they face (among several other issues at play), people still opt to exploit animals. I mention it in my post, http://www.dtravelsround.com/2015/08/11/truth-about-riding-elephants-in-thailand/, where a film crew did a documentary on elephant abuse in SE Asia. They inform a couple at a riding camp about this and the couple admits they suspected such abuse, but it wasn't going to change their minds and they still were going to ride an elephant. This happens all too often. I think part of this is because of social media and the desire to show people that they are engaging in "cool" activities while on their travels that others may never have the chance to do. And, part of it comes from a desire to simply engage with these creatures on a personal level. While the demand, I believe is decreasing, so long as people like this continue to promote exploitation, the demand will always exist.
@hitriddle It really is a shame. As someone who spent so much time on the ground trying to educate people, it was always incredibly hard for the morale to listen to their justifications and actually watch them participate in these activities. Their story is more important than anything else and any other living thing.
@stuartbutler2 While I do believe that seeing animals in person can certainly lead to an appreciation on a deeper lever, I don't believe it is our right to be able to do this. There are good zoos and there are bad zoos, and obviously the animals in the zoos can't be released back into the wild, but what I would like to see is zoos which have the animals they have, and that is it. Take the opportunity to turn the audience who comes to their zoo as one to simply educate and instead of showing animals in captivity, create meaningful informative pieces and more of a museum. I know that many people want to see animals up-close, and eliminating zoos would deprive people of that, but it isn't about what we want and need, in my opinion. If someone has the money and the ability to go somewhere and see animals up-close, they are fortunate and blessed. We expect to have zoo, etc. because it is what we have always had. But, change the expectation and eventually that desire will be replaced with something else. I fell in love with elephants and gained an appreciation of them through a book a read, not from seeing them in a small enclosure in a zoo. I get it, I do, but Sophie has a point as well. See animals in their natural habitat and which exist naturally in your location (or where you visit).
I think that this generation of animal rights campaigners was only partially shaped through their own experiences with animals. Today, social media is incredibly powerful. Look at how many people spoke out when Cecil was killed, without ever having been to Africa. Images are powerful and the internet is filled with information. There are many ways to campaign for animals and gain an appreciation for them through this medium versus going to a zoo. While I don't necessarily agree with PETA and what they do, they are a good example of harnessing the power of those campaigners to speak out. People can become passionate without ever experiencing something on their own.
@thetravelword I know Facebook removes images which show animal abuse, but have yet to do anything regarding hunting images, etc. I think it is difficult because, while these images are graphic, they also go viral (Cecil is a great example, as is the poaching images of elephants and rhinos). So, while having them take a stance, it stops promoting abuse/unbecoming behavior, but also stops the activism. Tough one. And, since they can't act as the moral police, I don't think that they would be able to remove images based on animal abuse in tourism that isn't graphic or disturbing. I know I have seen so many images which upset me greatly through social media, and while I hate seeing them, I do know that it ignites a desire to speak out even more and advocate for them. I think it would be wonderful if Mark Zuckerberg (Sp?) would share at least his own personal opinion on these things, and other influential people as well.
@thetravelword Great questions!!
What (more) can media do?There is A LOT more MAINSTREAM media can do. There are plenty of niche publications which bring awareness regarding animal rights issues. However, mainstream media has yet to latch onto this. When I first started writing about responsible elephant tourism and the realities of elephant tourism, I pitched airline publications, big name travel magazines and newspapers and the response was always along the lines of: gee, that's terrible, but it isn't something we'd be interested in covering.
The problem is, many of these magazine simply want to sell an idea of a destination (and are often times dictated by advertisers in regards to what they can and cannot include, whether or not a pub will admit it or not). Even when working at SEF, magazines would reach out to me or I would speak with them, and they'd be interested in the work Lek was doing, but would want to gloss over the WHY she was doing it and just focus on the experience people could have. While I think promoting ENP and the work is wonderful, leaving out that crucial piece of information doesn't help animals in other places; it only serves to benefit what goes on at that particular attraction.
If a major media outlet won't run something which exposes the realities, I think they could at least come up with a compromise and include some facts versus skirting the issue entirely. These are wonderful platforms to educate, but there is no responsibility from these publications to actually do that and I know there is a fear that readership will drop of someone grabbing a Traveler Magazine sees pics of elephants being put through the crush versus an exotic image of a couple on honeymoon perched on their back with colorful umbrellas shading them from the tropical sun as they stroll down a beach.
What (more) can operators do?Operators can listen more to the consumers. I see it in Thailand a lot now -- operators are changing from trekking camps to places where people can just go and walk with the elephants and learn about them. But, so long as the demand for shows, rides, paintings, etc. exists, it is hard for them to turn away willing participants who will pay for it.
More and more are seeing the value -- and the money -- which can be achieved by offering more responsible attractions. But, there is a long way to go. However, tapping into this growing market of responsible tourists can prove to be very fruitful for their business and give these animals a better life in captivity. It is just putting all of the pieces together and being open to changing their model.
What (more) can government do?There is a lot more the government can do, and without getting too into detail, they need to take a step back from the tourism industry and be an entirely separate entity. There has been a great outcry over the years for governments to take a stand and impose regulations and rights for animals, but because tourism and government are so closely related in many parts of the world, they opt for a hands-off approach.
I think Costa Rica is a great example of what government can do to help the animals. The results have been amazing, too. More people are talking about visiting CR and are pleased and sharing the information regarding the strides they are making.
In many parts of the world, government policies and their governing itself, are under attack. If not for anything else, taking a stand and establishing and enforcing regulations in regards to animals can be seen as a smart PR move and a way to generate positive press to places where the government is being criticized.
What (more) can academics do?When I was working on my piece about the realities of elephant tourism, I was surprised at just how little information there was from the academic world regarding medical issues these animals face in captivity. Establishing research trips that really dig into the issues at hand and creating informative publications about this would be a great step in the right direction. Also, offering more programs geared towards responsible tourism would be something fantastic to see. I know there have been plenty of independent research projects, but haven't seen many as it relates to animals in captivity.
What (more) can responsible tourism advocates and animal rights campaigners do?The main problem I see with campaigners and advocates is their "holier-than-thou" attitude and the general way they speak to people who participate in something which they do not support. In working with Lek, I watched her and listened to her and she was always kind, always graceful and always willing to provide advice without EVER making someone feel bad about their past decisions. Education is key, but it is HOW they educate. To do so with anger, personal attacks and putting people on the defensive does nothing for the animals and turns people off, not only to listening, but to actually making a change.
To piggyback on that, I was talking to a friend blogging world the other day and she said something that just broke my heart, similar to the man in the video: "I know it isn't right, but I am selfish and I want to do it." This quote came from a popular travel blogger. As long as there are people with attitudes like that, the demand will always exist and the cycle of poaching, abuse and exploitation will continue.