After growing campaigns against elephant rides, there’s finally some good news. Cambodia is making a difference by deciding to ban elephant rides at its iconic tourist attraction, Angkor Wat, starting in 2020. The outrage started back in 2016 when news emerged of an elephant who collapsed and died from exhaustion after being mercilessly used as a ‘transportation’ for tourists. (Facebook cover image: travelinlibrarian)

Image credits: Moving Animals

In 2018, after another animal died from exhaustion, in under 48 hours over 14,000 people signed the petition to end this cruel practice.

Image credits: Moving Animals

The Angkor Elephant Group Committee has finally put a stop to this animal abuse.

The committee’s director Oan Kiry told The Phnom Penh Post: “In early 2020, our association plans to end the use of elephants to transport tourists. They can still watch the elephants and take photos of them in our conservation and breeding center. We want the elephants to live in as natural a manner as possible”.

Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument is visited by 2.5 million international tourists each year. As of now, there are 14 overworked elephants.

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