Indonesia has taken a strong and positive step toward better wildlife protection and sustainable tourism. Starting in late 2025 and into 2026, the government officially banned elephant riding and similar attractions at conservation parks and wildlife facilities across the country.
Indonesia has taken a strong and positive step toward better wildlife protection and sustainable tourism. Starting in late 2025 and into 2026, the government officially banned elephant riding and similar attractions at conservation parks and wildlife facilities across the country.
The key legal basis for this change is Surat Edaran Direktur Jenderal Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam dan Ekosistem (Dirjen KSDAE) Nomor 6 Tahun 2025 — a circular dated 18 December 2025 issued by Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation. The title and subject of the regulation focus on the termination of elephant riding programs (penghentian peragaan gajah tunggang) at conservation institutions throughout Indonesia.
This rule requires all conservation institutions, zoos, and wildlife parks that manage elephants to stop offering elephant riding and instead shift toward education, observation-based tourism, and improved animal welfare practices.
Elephant riding — even when marketed as a family-friendly activity — has been widely recognized by experts as potentially harmful to elephants’ physical and psychological well-being. The new rule emphasizes:
Animal welfare standards consistent with conservation ethics.
Protection of Sumatran elephants, a species protected by Indonesian law and listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.
Transformation of tourism toward more ethical, respectful experiences with wildlife.