If you are thinking for elephant riding, take a look at this..

http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/i...elephant-rides

The research concludes that this causes pain and suffering to the elephants, and that the tourism industry has added to the number of elephants being poached from the wild.

If you want to interact with elephants, I encourage you to choose done of the places that has been reviewed by animal welfare groups and has received high marks: The Elephant Nature Park or The Thai Elephant Conservations Center, both near Chiang Mai. The ones rated highly on Trip Advisor are ones that use hooks, and elephants often have fresh scars from the hooks.

Note that there is a small division of the Thai Elephant Conservations Center at the Anatara at the Golden Triangle.

For me, the issues are not so much that of being ridden, but tourism encouraging capturing wild elephants and cruelty to the elephants in captivity. The change Intrepid is making (as I read it) is more about discouraging further capturing of wild elephants, not so much about riding "hurting" elephants.

Its purely PR and will make no difference. Do you really think the locals care about Intrepid? Most local elephant handlers have never heard of them and couldnt careless.

Makes as much diff as these fools who switch lights off for 1 hr a year thinking they are saving the planet.

Thanks for posting khunwilko. Nice to see a tour operator taking a responsible stand for once.

Sad to see some people have such a negative opinion of a positive action.......it's when people think they can do nothing that bad things happen.

KW, can you believe I'm jumping in here to support your point? I am. Comments like those by Prachaup are really counter-productive.

You 2 are kidding yourselves.

We three - NOT! Intrepid's new policy may not make a profound, immediate difference, Prachaup, but it will make a difference. One step at a time.

Amazing Kathie - common ground.

As the policy is part of a raft of measures both international and local it is ALREADY part of a sea-change in attitudes to the treatment of elephants and wildlife... so Prachuap you're too late really.
So Prachuap, what would your advice to visitors be be?