OUR STANDARDS

Responsible travellers tread lightly on the earth, respecting local cultures and practices. The choices you make can steer local businesses and their actions in positive directions.  Responsible travellers want to experience the magic of elephants without contributing to animal exploitation.

 

Choose only an ACES accredited camp for your next elephant destination. This is the only way you can be assured that your visit is helping elephants, mahouts and local communities. You can also contact your preferred elephant camp and request they accredit their facility with us. The elephants will thank you!

 

Our standards exceed all national government requirements for elephant welfare. Designed and approved by independent elephant experts, our assessment process thoroughly examines eight areas of camp management:​

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​You can learn more and help to raise awareness about captive elephant welfare standards and responsible tourism practice by taking our free online course Regenerative travel: Responsible Travel for Elephant-Based Tourism in Southeast Asia, available for free from Atingi.

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1

Camp Management

Elephant registration, unique ID books, microchips, camp annual reports, standard operational procedures.​

3

Elephant Welfare

Individual dietary plans, veterinary care & routine health checks, body score conditions, control methodologies, general health, calves and calf management, musth management, geriatric management.​

5

Camp Quality & Infrastructure

Energy usage, waste disposal, recycling.​

7

Community Relations & Biodiversity

Community engagement, ivory & forbidden products.​

2

Staff Management

Employee records, wages, insurance, training, sick & holiday entitlements, living quarters.

4

Elephant Interactions

Work schedule, bathing, riding, feeding, substrate, social contact & interactions.​

6

Visitor Safety & Experience

First aid, insurance, liability, amenities.​

8

Conservation

Elephant education, socialisation, awareness.

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ACES will not work with camps that:

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  • Do not follow the Five Domains of Freedom.

  • Make elephants work in extreme heat.

  • Do not allow elephants sufficient rest breaks or access to clean drinking water.

  • Do not provide suitable living shelters.

  • Make elephants perform unnatural behaviours such as circus tricks, standing on hind legs and associated activities.

  • Cannot provide the legal paperwork, registration papers and other documents showing the provenance of every elephant. 

  • Feed their elephants poor diets with a lack of seasonal variety.

  • Are engaged in wildlife trafficking or the illegal use of fauna or flora.

  • Have poor mahout training and/or mahouts that show any form of harm towards elephants.

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ACES will work with camps that:

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  • Have a genuine commitment to engage with ACES and improving camp practises.

  • Support local elephant conservation efforts.

  • Support local communities and farmers.

“ACES allows me to visit an elephant camp without worrying about how the elephants are treated when the camp is closed.”

Clemence, Scotland