Thousands of elephants in Asia 'beaten into fear and submission' for tourists

mirror.co.uk:

Scrubbing behind the ears of a docile Asian elephant at a sanctuary outside of Kandy, Sri Lanka, I should have realised this wasn’t normal behaviour for a wild animal to allow me so close.

At the time, back in 2009 and thousands of miles from home, it seemed harmless. I was also told the experience was cruelty-free and the money I had paid went towards conservation of the species.

But observing the mahout (elephant trainer) hit the poor creature with a stick and then chain him up after our wash in the river, I realised its life wasn’t quite as idyllic as it had been made out to me.

Elephant-washing tourist attractions in Thailand have tripled in five years – despite conservationists saying the animals suffer in miserable conditions and