Ban on Elephant Safari Likely to Hamper Wildlife Tourism

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Ban on Elephant Safari Likely to Hamper Wildlife Tourism

January 18: The campaign initiated by animal rights activists against elephant safari has had a negative impact on wildlife tourism, according to stakeholders. Entrepreneurs involved in wildlife tourism have expressed their concerns over the campaign run by the animal rights activists against elephant ride.

Stating that riding elephant is exploitation of animals, the activists have been pressing for a ban on elephant safari. However, tourism experts argue that this move has threatened the future of wildlife tourism in Nepal.

Animal rights activists from Europe and USA have been running the campaign since last year, which has left wildlife tourism in the lurch. Basanta Raj Mishra, executive chairman of Temple Tiger Green Jungle Resort, says that the animal rights activists have created pressure to ban the elephant safari packages.

“But we are not using elephants for circus or giving any kind of mistreatment that violates animal rights,” he said.

 He added that the negative publicity has landed the business of elephant safari in trouble. The alternate for elephant safari will be jeep safari and it is certainly going to create some adverse effects to the national park if elephant safari is banned totally.

The entrepreneurs have demanded that the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation  a standard on elephant riding hours, set the limit for the maximum number of people sitting on elephants for safaris and to stop negative publicity.   

According to the tourism entrepreneurs, banning elephant safari from Chitwan and Nawalparasi will have an adverse effect on wildlife tourism and the entrepreneurs will be compelled to drive vehicles inside the national park.

There are more than 200 high-end hotels in Sauraha and there has been a huge investment on those hotels. Similarly, the ‘home-stay’ business is also growing in those places.

Mishra informed that elephant awareness campaigns have been running to make sure that the animal rights have not been violated. He also claimed that elephants prefer going for jungle safari rather than staying at zoos.

According to tourism entrepreneurs, there are around 250 tamed elephants in Nepal among which around 140 are being looked after by the private sector.

According to the owners of the elephants, they won’t be able to look after the elephants if they are not used for income generating activities in the tourism sector. An elephant needs 15 kg of paddy and jaggery of the same amount per day. In total, an adult elephant consumes 150 kg of food and 50 gallons of water a day. An elephant needs daily exercise as well.

             

 

 

 

 

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