About ACES
Independent l Reliable l Transparent
Our Mission
Asian Captive Elephant Standards (ACES) is the independent, reliable and transparent link between the tourism industry and captive elephant welfare. Our camp guidelines were developed in 2015 and after much consultation we developed a set of over 190 strict camp criteria. All criteria have been independently validated by international specialists in elephant management, veterinary care and animal welfare. Our goal is to ensure Asian elephant welfare while meeting the needs of the community and tourism stakeholders.
Elephant welfare is the most important aspect of elephant tourism, and we engage, support and strengthen the tourism industry’s role in providing excellent standards of elephant care.
We believe in respectful communication and cooperation with elephant camp owners. We do not condone rude or angry behaviour towards camps as this is not in the spirit of responsible travel, harmony or improvement. We prefer to listen and offer help rather than act in a combative manner.
The ACES team has a wealth of knowledge and experience in elephant research, care and tourism sustainability. Our partners are some of the world’s leading elephant veterinarians and researchers. Combined, we have developed a system that makes us the strongest regulatory organisation servicing the elephant tourism industry.
ACES works alongside the world’s leading elephant veterinarians and researchers, tourism organisations, governments and industry partners to continually develop our welfare standards for captive elephants in Southeast Asia.
We welcome opportunities to collaborate with new partners – contact us to discuss how ACES can contribute to your research, training and tourism initiatives and development projects.
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