THEY CALL IT AN “EXPERIENCE”
BUT WHAT DOES THE ELEPHANT EXPERIENCE?

Bathing elephants. Touching their feet. Painting. A hula hoop. A headstand. And a bullhook.
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In June 2026, CompassionWorks International visited The Preserve in Fredericksburg, Texas, to document its heavily marketed elephant “experience.” What investigators recorded raises an important question about the increasingly blurred line between education, conservation and entertainment.
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The Preserve describes its philosophy as “Contact Caring Conservation,” promoting close interaction with elephants as a way to create empathy and support conservation.
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But CompassionWorks International documented elephants being directed through staged behaviors for paying visitors—including painting, a headstand and a hula-hoop activity. Investigators also recorded a handler using a bullhook while prompting an elephant to raise her trunk higher as the inside of her mouth was shown to visitors.
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So perhaps the question isn’t simply what we call these encounters. What is the elephant being asked to do? Why is the elephant being asked to do it? How is participation obtained? And would the activity still occur if there were no paying audience?
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Words like experience, encounter, enrichment and conservation can change how an activity is presented. They don’t necessarily change what the animal experiences.
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The accompanying photograph isn’t an illustration. It is an authentic image captured from CompassionWorks International’s investigation. Look at the evidence. Ask the questions. Decide for yourself.
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Read:
Complete CompassionWorks International Investigation
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Related Reading:
“Wildlife for Sale: By the Encounter”
Explore how close-contact wildlife encounters can turn access to wild animals into a commercial product—and why the language of education or conservation deserves scrutiny when animals are used to create paid visitor experiences.
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