Horrifying photos have emerged of injured 'entertainment' elephants as Australian tourists travelling to Thailand are being begged not to ride the animals.
Elephants in Thailand are being subjected to terrible abuse from their keepers as they are forced to perform tricks for tourists every day (pictured).
Elephant keepers use bull hooks to hit the animals as part of a horrific entertainment industry for tourists (pictured).
'Please don't ride the elephants and don't support this business,' a spokesperson for Tourism Authority of Thailand told Yahoo news.
Thailand tourist authorities have urged tourists not to fuel the elephant entertainment industry and visit sanctuaries where these animals are protected instead.
He says that tourists can play their part in the matter, by boycotting attractions that exploit elephants for entertainment purposes.
'There is no such thing as a domesticated elephant,' Elephant Valley founder Jack Highwood told Daily Mail Australia in June. »