Riding Elephants is No Fun For Elephants!

Let’s be clear. No non-human animal wants to be ridden by us! These poor elephants are no exception. In today’s LIVE TALK Jane, Nikki, Simone, and Katie explain that these animals have been stolen from their mothers and tortured into submission. Katie explains that we need to increase awareness about what is happening to these animals so we can put an end to the practice worldwide. What people don’t know is that the elephants they are riding are suffering immensely. Nikki explains that these elephants come from the wild most of the time, and they are being poached to the point of extinction. Their captors may beat the elephants with 6 or 7 people causing permanent damage to their bodies. If that wasn’t enough, the elephants also sustain injuries from being ridden. Simone explains these elephants’ families are ripped apart and left to mourn their stolen family members. People think they are helping the elephants if they ride them at so-called rehabs and sanctuaries. This is not the case, the animals there do not want to be ridden either. Many times these places are not what they claim to be! If anyone really loves elephants or any animal for that matter, they should refuse to ride them!

Measures are being taken to help the unfortunate victims of these tourist attractions. Wildlife SOS has real rehab facilities and sanctuaries to help heal the damage that has been done to these creatures. They even built a huge hospital to treat them! Katie explains that she and her organization Peace for Animals chose to collaborate with Wildlife SOS because of their amazingly effective work saving these elephants. Now they are spreading the truth with their very poignant campaign, Refuse to Ride! Jane explains that awareness is the issue. If she had known 30 years ago, she would not have gotten on an elephant with her mother. People are finding out. More campaigns like this one are popping up to stop people from riding any animals including horses in carriage rides in New York, and creatures at sea parks.  Simone Reyes encourages people to share their videos riding animals and tell people the truth about what they are seeing. Katie explains how public pressure works. When her organizations exposed a major travel company for advertising animals being kept for entertainment in a mall as an attraction, they got the company’s attention by disrupting business and they stopped. Now we have a chance to help these elephants. Click the links below to donate, sign petitions, and see what else you can do to help stop these animals from being ridden in the future! At the end of the day if you must ride another animal, ride a willing human. Leave the rest of the animals out of it!

Tune into Jane’s VoiceAmerica show every Monday at 10 a.m. PST.