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Tourists riding elephants in Angkor Wat. Photo by Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP.

Angkor Wat Is Finally Putting a Stop to Its Elephant Rides

by Aditya Mirchandani
15 November 2019

The first 2 elephants are already on their way to a community forest.

Finally heeding the calls of environmentalists everywhere, the Cambodian government is now putting an end to elephant rides in the country’s famed temple complex Angkor Wat, an official said yesterday.

According to officials from the Apsara Authority, a government agency that oversees the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first two elephants are on their way to the Bos Thom community forest, where they can happily live the rest of their lives “in their natural surroundings.”

Moving out Angkor’s elephants is an important first step to end wildlife tourism in Cambodia, but there are still an estimated 70 domesticated elephants in captivity.

full https://www.vice.com/en_asia/article/wj ... s-cambodia

ABOUT TIME BUT I LOVED THE OLD ELEPHANT WALKING DOWN THE RIVERSIDE AT NIGHT.

Good, I saw a family of landwhales sitting on one of the poor things, inconsiderate fat fucks.

Cambodia Transports Retired Ride Elephants to their New Home
Nov 19, 2019 07:37 AM EST
If you want to visit Cambodia because you want to ride an elephant, then you should consider other activities instead.

In June this year, the management authority for the Angkor Archeological Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia announced to completely phase out the elephant ride industry in early 2020.

The local media Khmer Times reported that the process has already begun on November 15. Two elephants at Angkor Wat Temple, where elephant riding is quite popular, have been transported to Bos Thom community forest to start its new life.

Elephants might be used but they are very gentle and we don't want them to be exploited for the sake of tourist's enjoyment, said Long Kosal of APSARA, the governing body of the park. Kosal also said that the remaining 12 elephants will be transferred to the same forest reserve in the early 2020s.
https://www.natureworldnews.com/article ... w-home.htm

I went Angkor Wat complex 7 times in August..
I noticed several changes since I was there 2 years ago.
There were elephant mounting stairs outside the gate to Bayon...and I was able to see them several times with tourists aboard or with just the handler.
The long park seemed like a great place to be an elephant.
I do not think an elephant is abused from having a person ride it anymore than I do a horse, camel or a donkey.
But, it seems the PC police are everywhere.
To say elephants are gentle beasts is just untrue.
Even ancient carvings depict elephants being used as war machines.
I spent time in Africa and saw first hand the destructive power and unyielding destructive nature of these creatures.
Just read the news and see them around the globe being anything but gentle.
I never was going to ride one..I never ride horses we had at the farm growing up..
I got some wonderful pics of 3 elephants with just the handlers as I passed them on the Bayon circle road and more as an elephant entered the Bayon gate..
I saw a lot more elephants in Thailand from Koh Samui to Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai being in far less favorable settings.
In Africa I saw the devastating effect of a herd on a village's corn crop and dwellings and the complete laying to waste of all plant life within reach in a National Park.
So funny to think an elephant could be injured because a fat tourist was sitting on it...

Update from Siem Reap social media page today:

As many of you already know, the riding of Elephants at Angkor is stopping. I thought some of you might be interested in their new home: The Kulen Elephant Forest. No more riding, no more tricks, just elephants being elephants in their natural home. Situated near Kulen Mountain, we are inviting visitors to come and experience a day in the life of these gentle giants, the way it should be! We would love to see our community supporting us by sharing this post and spreading the word. Or better yet, tell your friends, come, escape the city, and witness the true beauty of Cambodia's wildlife with its most iconic animal.