In
many Asian nations, the use of elephants in the
tourist industry is rapidly increasing. For a
small fee, visitors have the pleasure of feeding
an elephants a handful of crackers,
or
they can experience the adventure of riding in
an ornate chair strapped to the elephant's back.
Many
of the elephants employed in this way are ones
that were displaced or retired from work in the
lumber industry. Now they spend their days on
city streets carrying tourists from around the
world. It is estimated that approximately 300
elephants are employed in this way across all of
Asia.