Unlike lions, bears and other wild animals, elephants are not primarily bred for their body parts but instead for their role in the tourism industry.
“These are long-lived, intelligent animals that are farmed or bred in captivity for arguably the most frivolous of industries: the wildlife entertainment industry,” WAP global campaigns director Nick Stewart told British media outlet the Daily Mail.
As tourists pay large sums of money to take part in elephant riding or bathing experiences, WAP researchers believe that the 2,798 captive elephants in Thailand generate between US$581 million and $770 million (20,805-27,575 baht) each year.
With the price of a single elephant at US$50,000 (1.7 million baht), poaching and cross-border smuggling of wild elephants has been incentivised.
With the industry recently pivoting towards more captive breeding, the number of captive elephants in Thailand increased by 134% between 2010 and 2020.