I'm planning a trip to Indonesia: Lombok and Bali, and I'd love to see elephants there.
It's clear that most of the elephant parks are about as ethical as animal circuses and constantly abuse the elephants for the tourists' pleasure. I googled a bit and even zoos and places that call themselves 'shelters' and 'rescues' offer elephant rides and elephant shows. And I want no part of that.
Do you know of any places that treat animals well on Bali or Lombok where one can see elephants and maybe participate in bathing and/or feeding them? Or is looking for such a place a fool’s errand as they’re all pretty much in the same business?
I would also appreciate any input on how to find places like this regardless of location (maybe you had found one in other SEA country). Maybe you have some general guidelines on that?
Or is this subject much more complex and am I wrong to immediately disqualify an animal park from my search because they offer elephants rides and elephant shows? Please share your insight.