Closed petition Ban adverts for and sale of Asian elephant tours that do not meet set standards
Many endangered Asian elephants suffer from brutal tourism, much of it from the UK. Current guidance and promises by the tourism industry are insufficient, and the Government must legislate to ban adverts for and sale of Asian elephant tours that do not meet a set standard.
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Elephants as “megagardeners of the forest” are key to biodiversity, nourish land, store carbon, and protect from climate change. Yet 40% of tourists to some countries plan elephant rides. In Thailand captive elephants, which can transmit TB, gave 13 million rides in 2016.
Operators advertise and sell Asian elephant tours with no legal constraints. 90% of people surveyed say using elephants in tourism is unjustified. Petitions to end their cruel treatment have received millions of signatures.
This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 10 November 2020
The Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously and is committed to raising standards of animal welfare both at home and abroad.
Read the response in full
The Government welcomes this important petition which highlights the cruelty that many elephants face when used to provide tourist experiences. Anyone who has seen videos of elephants undergoing harsh and painful training will be rightly appalled by the treatment that they suffer.
The Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously and is committed to raising standards of animal welfare both at home and abroad. The Government has made wide ranging commitments on animal welfare and we are committed to making the UK a world leader in protection of animals as we leave the EU. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office raises concerns about the welfare of animals with other Governments and international authorities at every suitable opportunity.
In December, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) published revised guidance for their members which recommends that they should not promote or sell holidays that include elephant experiences. We reiterate our previous calls to British travel agents to cut ties with any company that sells experiences that are harmful towards elephants and urge tourists to visit high-welfare attractions whilst holidaying. Should anyone visit an attraction where they suspect mistreatment of animals, we would strongly encourage them to report their concerns to their travel agent when they return home.
The Government is considering the potential of legislation to prohibit adverts of cruel animal entertainments overseas.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/302242)
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Original Government response
The Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously and is committed to raising standards of animal welfare both at home and abroad.
The Government welcomes this important petition which highlights the cruelty that many elephants face when used to provide tourist experiences. Anyone who has seen videos of elephants undergoing harsh and painful training will be rightly appalled by the treatment that they suffer.
The Government takes the welfare of all animals seriously and is committed to raising standards of animal welfare both at home and abroad. The Government has made wide ranging commitments on animal welfare and we are committed to making the UK a world leader in protection of animals as we leave the EU. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office raises concerns about the welfare of animals with other Governments and international authorities at every suitable opportunity.
In December, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) published revised guidance for their members which recommends that they should not promote or sell holidays that include elephant experiences. We reiterate our previous calls to British travel agents to cut ties with any company that sells experiences that are harmful towards elephants and urge tourists to visit high-welfare attractions whilst holidaying. Should anyone visit an attraction where they suspect mistreatment of animals, we would strongly encourage them to report their concerns to their travel agent when they return home.
The Government is considering the potential of legislation to prohibit adverts of cruel animal entertainments overseas.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This response was given on 6 October 2020. The Petitions Committee then requested a revised response, that more directly addressed the request of the petition.
Government announces plans for new animal welfare laws
As part of the Queen's Speech on Tuesday 11th May, the Government announced that it plans to introduce new laws to protect and promote the highest standards of animal welfare in the UK.
The Government's proposals are set out in a new Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which was published this week. Its proposals focus on improving the welfare of pets and farmed animals, and protecting wild animals in the UK and animals exported or found outside the UK.
The Government intends to introduce three new Bills into Parliament to make these changes - the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, the Kept Animals Bill, and the Animals Abroad Bill. These Bills will be published in due course.
Read more about the Government's plans here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-lead-the-way-on-animal-welfare-through-flagship-new-action-plan
Read the Queen's Speech background briefing notes for more information on the Government's proposed Bills:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/queens-speech-2021-background-briefing-notes
What is the Queen's Speech?
The Queen's Speech is the speech that the Queen reads out in the House of Lords Chamber on the occasion of the State Opening of Parliament.
It's written by the Government and sets out the programme of Bills - new laws, and changes to existing laws - that the Government intends to put forward in this new Parliamentary session. A session of Parliament usually lasts around one year.
Once the Government puts forward a Bill in Parliament, Parliament then debates the Government's proposal and decides whether to adopt the changes to the law set out in the Bill.