Welfare and survival of Asian elephants used in tourism

That this House is concerned about the increasing risk of extinction to Asian elephants; notes that in India and South East Asia some Asian elephants are snatched from the wild when very young, deprived of food and water for months whilst tightly confined in cages, beaten and stabbed with iron hooks to break their spirits for easy use in tourism and tortured throughout their lives; further notes that these stressed animals sometimes attack and kill tourists; observes that such tourism is in part driven by companies advertising to the UK market; and calls on the Government to prohibit the advertising of elephant attractions other than genuine sanctuaries.