Phajaan or ‘Crushing’ is the traditional Asian torture of young elephants to break their spirit. It is done so that they are submissive to humans.
They are caged, starved, beaten, stabbed, poked and cut and kept awake for days until they become submissive under the torture. Many, especially the ones with stronger wills, die from shock and lack of water, stress and severe injuries, as the people will not stop until the elephants are judged to be “broken” or completely submissive.
We call on the Government of Thailand to stop this horrific practice once and for all. It no longer has a place in Thailand's traditions. There are other ways to ensure elephants used in the tourist trade are submissive - humane, cruel-free methods demonstrated by people such as Lek, the founder of Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary for elephants, located near to Chiang Mai, www.elephantnaturepark.org.