Behind the Rides: The Hidden Suffering of Ganesha the Elephant

RELEATED VIDEOS :

On a busy tourist trail, visitors lined up eagerly, laughing and snapping photos as they waited for their turn to climb onto the back of an elephant named Ganesha. To onlookers, the experience seemed magical—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride one of the world’s most majestic animals.

But beneath the surface of this cheerful scene lay a much darker truth. What the tourists did not see were the sharp hooks pressed into Ganesha’s head to control his every step. They did not notice the scars hidden beneath the heavy saddle. Nor could they imagine the years of harsh training and relentless beating that had broken his spirit long before he carried his first passenger.

Every ride, every smiling photo, every fleeting moment of entertainment was built on years of silent suffering. For elephants like Ganesha, the cost of tourism is measured in pain, exhaustion, and lost freedom.

Animal welfare advocates explain that elephants used in the riding trade are often taken from the wild at a young age. Separated from their mothers, they endure a process known as “breaking the spirit,” which uses fear, confinement, and violence to make them submissive to human commands. Though dressed up as cultural tradition or harmless fun, the reality is one of exploitation.

Behind every “tourist smile,” there are elephant tears. What appears to be a joyful attraction is, in truth, a cycle of cruelty that strips these intelligent, social animals of their dignity and well-being.

Campaigns worldwide are urging travelers to say no to elephant rides and to support sanctuaries instead—places where elephants can roam freely, socialize naturally, and live without the weight of chains or saddles. By making conscious choices, tourists can shift demand away from cruelty and toward compassion.

“Don’t ride, don’t support cruelty,” one advocate summarized. “Your photo should never come at the cost of an elephant’s suffering.”

As the story of Ganesha reminds us, true respect for wildlife comes not from possession or control, but from allowing animals to live the lives they were meant to live.