TAKING US FOR A RIDE

Of the seven venues branded the most cruel by Save The Asian Elephants, no fewer than six are featured by travel giant and ABTA member Expedia, including Pattaya Elephant Village. “Few experiences can match the joy of riding atop an elephant as it tramps through the jungle,” Expedia. co.uk says next to a picture of a grinning tourist and mahout sitting on one of the captive animals. “Don’t miss the chance to feed the elephants at the afternoon show,” it adds. “For a small charge you can purchase bananas that the elephants will take directly from your hand.” The company told me that it began removing offending posts referring to these “attractions” earlier this year but was interrupted by the pandemic. It also said that although it features these sites it does not sell tours to them – though its website does gush about “great savings on nearby hotels and flights”. Another company to give a namecheck to the worst venues is Travel Republic, also an ABTA member, boasting that its hotels are a short walk or drive from the notorious

Sriracha Tiger Zoo and Pun5n3a.t8h3ur3 Kotta Elephant Training Centre. A spokesman said: “We have removed all references to all of those listed as we investigate the claims your report highlights. “We expect all of our suppliers, whether contracted directly or – as is the case here, through a third party – to adhere to the minimum standards set out in ABTA’S animal welfare guidelines and we reserve the right to remove them from sale if they fail to do so.” Teletext Holidays promoted Chitwan National Park, its website reading: “Ride with the elephants through the jungle before stopping to splash, bathe and scrub them in the Rapti River.” It responded to my inquiry by saying that it has now removed the article from its website: “We appreciate the Daily Mirror and Save The Asian Elephants for bringing this very concerning matter to our attention. “The company does not condone any kind of animal cruelty and would not knowingly feature any content which promoted activity which could be deemed cruel to elephants in any way.”

PATTAYA An image used by Expedia