Ethical elephant sanctuary vetting checklist detailed
3 Answers from travellers
Full checklist: (1) NO riding, ever, at any age. (2) NO chains or restraints during 'visits'. (3) NO bathing tourists in a river. (4) NO close-up feeding (touch = habituation). (5) YES elephants have >10 hectares of free-roam land per animal. (6) YES visits are limited (max 20-30 people at feeding times). (7) YES revenue is transparently accounted for conservation.
By this checklist, only ETH (Elephant Transit Home, Udawalawe) fully qualifies. Millennium Elephant Foundation (Kegalle) partially qualifies but has some questionable practices. Most other 'sanctuaries' fail. Ask to see their animal welfare protocol document — legit places have one.
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