A survey of stereotypic behaviors in tourist camp elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Stereotypies are abnormal behaviors found in a wide range of animals that have been used as indicators of poor welfare. Elephants used in tourism have been reported to perform stereotypic behavior, but the occurrence has not been systematically assessed. The aims of this study were to ascertain the percentage of stereotypic behaviors exhibited by tourist camp elephants and relationship with demographic variables. This study surveyed 283 elephants from 20 elephant camps in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Amounts and types of stereotypic behavior were determined from 15-min direct observations. Additionally, demographic data and occurrence of stereotypic behavior (yes/no) were obtained from mahouts of 181 elephants using a questionnaire. Direct behavioral observations revealed that 57% (N = 161: 44 males and 117 females) of the elephants performed stereotypic behavior, while in mahout interviews, 58% were scored 'yes'. There were no differences in the least-squares mean score of stereotypic behaviors between males and females (p = 0.32), whereas there were differences among age groups (p < 0.05), with the highest in elephants 4-10 years of age, followed by 11-30 years of age, 31-50 years of age, > 50 years of age. Calves 0-3 years of age displayed the lowest rate of stereotypic behavior, when most were still with their mothers. The most common type of stereotypic behavior was swaying. Our results indicate that scores of stereotypic behaviors in elephants used in tourism differed among age categories. The next step will be to determine how management factors affect stereotypic behavior of elephants in this population and steps to mitigate it.