BUFFALO Tours has audited 38 elephant camps in five of its destination countries – Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar – and have validated that 20 of those camps meet welfare and safety requirements.
The company based its assessment using 81 criteria encompassing seven broader aspects, namely safety and management; elephant care; conservation and breeding; elephant working conditions; elephant in musth; local community support; and staff working, training and knowledge.
They were then graded under six classifications, with those falling under the bottom three grades not being recommended or sold by Buffalo Tours.
“One objective of the project was also to empower camps to improve and respect captive elephant welfare. Once camps are committed to ethical operations, they have a better chance to afford sustainable revenue,” said Graham Harper, educational travel manager and chairman of Buffalo Tours’ responsible travel advisory board.
“We are now confident to advise our global partners like Flight Centre, Vakanties, Wendy Wu and Topdeck where they should send their clients,” he added.
The audit, which involved external parties and which took over a year to complete, is part of Buffalo Tours’ policy to protect the welfare of Asia’s wildlife.
