Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Thai counterpart on the treatment of elephants in shows and tourist attractions in that country.

The Government takes reports of animal cruelty throughout the world seriously and we are committed to raising standards of animal welfare at home and abroad. We regard animal welfare to be the responsibility of each country and so would expect laws to be put in place by the respective country.

It is important that the British public are aware of issues around engagement with the elephant tourism industry. To that end, advice about elephant tourism and the risks that mistreatment can bring can be found in the regularly updated Travel Advice for Thailand, which is published on GOV.UK

The British Government has been at the forefront of driving global efforts to safeguard the world's most vulnerable species and we remain committed to protecting global wildlife for generations to come.