Phajaan

The process that crushes the spirit of an elephant.

The process to tame an elephant and force it into submission is known as the Phajaan Ceremony, meaning to crush the spirit of the elephant. Young elephants are taken from their mother and endure a week of physical and mental torture. The young elephant is shackled, starved, beaten, and bashed. Once the mahout (owner and trainer) is satisfied that the elephant is submissive, they begin training to tame the elephants. This is the process that brings elephants into the tourism industry. If we stop supporting unethical elephant parks, the demand for elephant captivity will decrease. This is crucial as Asian elephants are an endangered species. Below is a photo of the process of Phajaan.