If you're wondering why riding an elephant is cruel, go ahead and get down on all fours and let a bunch of kittens sit on your back. Fun at first, maybe, but two things are different in this scenario: One, you had a choice in the matter, and two, you weren't forced to do it for hours and hours on end. Also, elephants are highly intelligent creatures — they cry, play with each other and come by that whole "an elephant never forgets" saying honestly, because they have wicked-great memories — and, like most intelligent creatures, it's kinda messed up to put them in a ring and make them walk in circles for their whole lives. The training process for these magnificent pachyderms will give you nightmares, too.
No word from FWC yet on what action they intend to take, if any. Until we know more, here's a video of elephants in the wild not being ridden like they're the Dumbo ride at Walt Disney World.
News + Politics Editor Kate Bradshaw contributed to this story.
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This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2018.