We first visited Thailand 17 years ago for our Honeymoon. We did every tourist attraction you could possibly think of. It was my very first overseas holiday! I didn’t realise at the time, that a lot of ‘attractions’ we saw, are really quite cruel and unfortunately, it took until this trip to realise the extent of the issue.

Fast forward to our most recent Thailand trip, we visited the Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve and learned about the treatment of animals, in particular, Elephants, in Thailand.

Unfortunately, we had booked this trip and the following day had booked to see Phuket Fantasea – tickets purchased and fully paid for.

Is it really that bad?

The entire production appears to be incredible, colourful and shows a Thailand tradition. However, behind the scenes, the way they treat the animals (and need to for the purpose of the show) is nothing more than cruel.

If you have a read of our experience at the Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve, you will understand a little more about the rescued elephants, and where they have come from and what they have experienced.

We learned that the tourist industry separates the babies from their mother at a very young age. They are trained using hooks to ensure they follow the orders. They are kept separate from the other elephants, when they are designed to be living together.

Having just learned what we learned at the Sanctuary, watching the elephants in the outside space, carrying large chairs on their backs, doing circles with tourists sitting on them – none of that seems natural. Those chairs cause permanent damage to the elephants back. We saw this at the Sanctuary.

The baby elephants only get a short time with the mother elephant (if it is even the mother) and you see the sticks keeping them in line.

The show

On the way through to the theatre, you have the opportunity to feed a baby tiger. Yes, we did that 17 years ago. We were kids and didn’t know any better. But again, seeing the baby chained up, being fed by tourists…. You also wonder what kind of living arrangements they have for these animals outside.

There were several animal species throughout the show. The two standouts were the elephants doing their part, which involved standing on their rear legs with their front legs on the elephant in front. These animals are huge, and heavy. Again, this looks like the most unnatural position for these animals to be in. Secondly, they brought out a large tiger in a clear box, not much bigger than the tiger itself.

Not to mention, the show was incredibly loud. There were bangs from the canon, extremely loud music and strobing lights.

If I am honest, the entire show made me feel so incredibly uncomfortable and I felt guilty sittin there until the end. It was very sad.

Is there a show, without the animals?

Yes, there is. But it is owned by the same company and located at the same venue – so you would still be supporting the way in which they treat their animals.

Overall recommendation

I fully understand that tourism is significant for the Thai economy. However, that being said, I would strongly urge you not to purchase tickets and support this organisation. Please rather spend your money on visiting somewhere like the Hidden Forest Elephant Sanctuary, where they rescue elephants from these sorts of lives.

We took a few photos from the outside space before heading into the show.