Place with well-treated elephants on Bali or Lombok, Indonesia?
I'm planning a trip to Indonesia: Lombok and Bali, and I'd love to see elephants there.
It's clear that most of the elephant parks are about as ethical as animal circuses and constantly abuse the elephants for the tourists' pleasure. I googled a bit and even zoos and places that call themselves 'shelters' and 'rescues' offer elephant rides and elephant shows. And I want no part of that.
Do you know of any places that treat animals well on Bali or Lombok where one can see elephants and maybe participate in bathing and/or feeding them? Or is looking for such a place a fool’s errand as they’re all pretty much in the same business?
I would also appreciate any input on how to find places like this regardless of location (maybe you had found one in other SEA country). Maybe you have some general guidelines on that?
Or is this subject much more complex and am I wrong to immediately disqualify an animal park from my search because they offer elephants rides and elephant shows? Please share your insight.
Best Answer
Unfortunately there aren't any responsible and ethical elephant parks or any animal parks for that matter in Bali or Lombok. Even the coffee plantations sometimes have caged Luwaks for show that is quite a sore eye to see. I think the only ok-ish place is the Turtle Centre for Conservation and Education in Serangan - https://tcecserangan.jimdo.com/
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Are there any ethical elephant sanctuaries in Bali?
While there are some in other parts of South East Asia that are ethical, there are no known ethical elephant parks in Bali \u2013 and any 'sanctuary' that offers elephant riding anywhere in the world should be avoided.Are any elephant sanctuary ethical?
The Phuket Elephant sanctuary is leading the way when it comes to the ethical treatment of retired/rescued elephants. Not only do elephants roam free but they also bathe freely too with the only tourist/elephant interaction allowed at feeding time.Does Bali have wild elephants?
Sumatran Elephant Conservation The elephants at the safari park aren't native to Bali (Bali doesn't have elephants), but actually they were rescued from Sumatra, one of the biggest islands in Indonesia. Sumatran elephants are critically endangered because of illegal deforestation and poaching.Is Bali Zoo ethical?
Due to this, I would avoid visiting any zoos in Bali. Tragically, a few Bali zoos also offer opportunities to have photographs with their tigers. Please avoid anywhere which offers interaction and photographs with tigers. These tigers grow through cruel processes and drugging to make this possible.Why You Should Visit Lombok, Not Bali
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Images: Artem Beliaikin, Nick Wehrli, Oleksandr Pidvalnyi, Artem Beliaikin