Chaining is an important part of managing elephants in a traditional hands-on system in SE Asia where there are no enclosures to contain the animals. Chains are the simplest, most reliable and safest tool to confine these large and potentially dangerous animals to a specific area. Because they can be more difficult to control, male elephants often have permanent chains around their ankles to provide a safe and quick means to control them if necessary. Chains are also important for safely restraining an elephant during husbandry (e.g., foot care) and veterinary procedures.
Any form of restraint, if done properly and with appropriate tools, is not harmful to the animal. For example, we put halters on horses and leashes and neck collars on dogs to lead and manage them in a safe, humane manner. A chain of appropriate length is important to allow elephants to interact with one another, but also allows them to find space alone should they chose. Unrelated elephants do not always get along and on occasion may fight, sometimes fatally so. From a management perspective, using long chains to tether an elephant at night rather than fencing allows it to be moved from one part of a forest to another, changing the elephant’s environment and allowing them access to fresh browse. A problem with fences is that they often are unreliable, can break or be destroyed, and allow elephants to escape.
Chains must be used appropriately to avoid injury. Ideally elephants should not be kept on chains for prolonged periods during the day. Camps that keep elephants on short chains during the majority of the day should be questioned and improvements suggested.