Dozens of baby elephants are being taken from their mothers and face 'psychological anguish' as they are trained to perform at a camp in Thailand, an animal rights group has revealed.
Photos taken at the 'cruel' Maesa Elephant Camp show how the calves endure horrific 'training' after they are taken into captivity at just two years old.
The lobby group Moving Animals revealed how the elephants have their spirits crushed in a process known as Phajaan before they are forced to learn 'unnatural' tricks.
Activists are now urging a ban on elephant riding holidays in order to halt the demand for trained animals.
At the camp, the activists saw elephants being dragged by their ears and being struck and scratched by sharp bullhooks.
The elephants were seen swaying in distress in what Moving Animals said was a 'clear sign of the psychological anguish they face'.
In the process of Phajaan, elephants have their spirits 'crushed' so that they can be forced to learn tricks and performance routines, activists said.
The elephants are taught to perform stunts such as painting pictures, kicking footballs and throwing darts.
'At one point, they’re even made to pull and lift thick, heavy logs, in a heartbreaking recreation of the now-illegal logging industry,' Moving Animals said.
Activists say the camp has been running for four decades and currently keeps more than 80 elephants captive.
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The female elephants are 'relentlessly' bred and at least one of them has already given birth to six babies, they said.
A pregnancy lasts for up to 22 months and the elephants are sometimes forced to continue performing while they are expecting, it is claimed.
'At the same camp, the babies' tragic future is clear to see, as teenage and adult elephants are forced to perform for tourists' entertainment,' the activists said.
In addition, activists warn that captive animals can be dangerous to tourists if they become distressed while performing.
'Our investigations across Asia have repeatedly shown that elephants continue to face relentless physical and emotional suffering to take part in rides, processions and performances,' Amy Jones of Moving Animals said.
'It is heartbreaking to think that these innocent babies at Maesa Elephant Nursery are at the start of a lifetime of captivity that will feature sharp bullhooks, cruel performances, and severe psychological stress.'
In a petition to the UK government, Moving Animals have urged a ban on the advertising and sale of 'unethical' elephant tours to 'cruel places like Maesa Elephant Nursery'.
'Elephants continue to face relentless physical brutality and psychological suffering to take part in rides, processions and performances,' they said.
'At just two years old, they will be ripped from their mothers and forced to undergo the traditional - and brutal - days- or weeks-long process of breaking a young elephant's spirit.'
The trips 'are also highly dangerous to tourists who are frequently attacked, and sometimes killed, by stressed out tourist elephants,' they added.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
