Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that UK citizens travelling to India, Thailand and other elephant-range states are made aware of the illegal practice of capturing and breaking young elephants for use in the tourism industry.

The United Kingdom is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations. We have been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to increase protection for Asian elephants, specifically with regard to the illegal cross border trade in live elephants which has been used to supply the tourism and logging industries. In August, officials from DEFRA met Indian officials in London to discuss the treatment of captive Asian elephants, the illegal trade in live elephants and the broader illegal wildlife trade. Whilst HMG does not offer advice to British citizens on ethical issues, such as the practice of keeping animals in captivity abroad, we will continue to work with the relevant government authorities and non-government organisations on this important issue.