Elephant rides banned at Angkor
Elephant rides will soon come to an end within the Angkor archaeological site. The Apsara Authority, which is responsible for the protection and development of the area, has announced that the 14 elephants currently in the park will all be relocated in early 2020 to the Bos Thom forest, at the foot of Phnom Kulen mountain, 30 km from Angkor, to prevent tourists from using them to visit the temples.
Enjoying the landscape and wandering peacefully while seated on the back of a pachyderm—one of the most popular activities in Asia in recent decades—has seen a major shift in recent years. And at last, concrete decisions are being made in Cambodia in favor of these elephants. In partnership with the international NGO Elephant Management International, the Apsara Authority has declared through its spokesperson Long Kosal that it will now be impossible for tourists to cross the majestic Angkor archaeological site on the backs of these animals.
"We no longer want to see elephants used for tourist activities. We want them to live in their natural environment."
A relocation to the foot of Phnom Kulen mountain
More than a simple ban, the two organizations have already begun relocating the 14 elephants living at Angkor to the forest community of Bos Thom, about 40 kilometers northeast of Siem Reap. They hope to have them all moved by early 2020. This community forest spans 1,100 protected acres and was chosen as the elephants’ new home for its natural environment and its proximity to Elephant Management International, which has pledged to protect them on-site.
Once the relocation is complete, there will no longer be any elephants at Angkor available to satisfy tourists' desires.
The death of Sambo as a turning point
The main reason behind this change in policy, despite the tourist appeal of elephant rides, lies in the testimonies of travelers and associations about the cruel training techniques endured by young elephants. Called “phajaan,” this process involves breaking the spirit of baby elephants to strip them of their natural behaviors, making them submissive enough to accept the presence of humans on their backs. We wrote an article last March describing this practice.
In April 2016, the hottest month of the year in Cambodia when temperatures can easily reach 45°C (113°F) in the sun, the elephant Sambo collapsed and died from a heart attack after carrying tourists for three-quarters of an hour around the elevated temple of Phnom Bakheng in Angkor. The news deeply moved many in Cambodia and likely sped up Apsara’s decision. A petition to ban elephant rides at the site gathered more than 30,000 signatures in the kingdom.
Sambo, a 45-year-old Asian elephant, could ideally have lived up to 60 years, based on her species. According to the NGO World Wildlife Fund, the Asian elephant population has declined by over 50% in just three generations.