Thai Caregivers’ Perspectives on Relationships with Their Elephants and Tigers

Logging prohibition in Thailand national parks in 1989
ended work for most elephants and mahouts. Animal tourism developed, affording
food and husbandry for elephants, and introducing tourism with young tigers.
Media and research on wild animals in tourism have explored the animals’
welfare, but not how tourism shifts human-animal relationships and affects the
animal caregivers. Caregivers of elephants (n = 55) or tigers (n = 18) in both private and government tourism
facilities in four cities were interviewed in Thai concerning how contexts and
management styles impact the relationship between captive animals and
caregivers. Mahouts working in private facilities used one-to-one management
and were younger and more poorly compensated than those working at
government-funded tourism facilities. Tiger caregivers in tourism had direct
contact with young tigers, with group management; these caregivers also were
younger than in government facilities, with fewer benefits. Most mahouts
considered their elephants as family members; a slight majority of these
mahouts questioned the ethics of this use of elephants. Tiger caregivers
classified tigers as family or friend equally often; one-third of all declined
answering whether they approved of use of tigers in tourism. While somewhat
solving problems, animal tourism also creates some challenges.