Nature Conservation Agency (KSDA) Outlaws Elephant Rides In Indonesia

Bali Update Editorial Team

4 hours ago

Under threat of revocation of operating licenses, the Indonesian Nature Conservation Agency (KSDA), the Director General of Natural Resource and Ecosystem Conservation, and the Ministry of Forestry have outlawed elephant rides as tourist attraction activities.

As reported by RadarBali.com, the joint agency pronouncement effectively ends elephant rides for tourists at animal parks, conservation parks, and zoos across the entire Republic.

The banning of elephant rides is detailed in Circular Memorandum Number 6 of 2025, issued by the Directorate General of the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry (KSDAE) on 18 December 2025, titled “Cessation of Elephant Rides at all Conservation Parks.”

The Head of KSDA, Ratna Hendratmoko, stated that the Circular Memorandum must be obeyed by all Conservation Parks that manage elephants across Indonesia, including Bali.

Meanwhile, the KSDA – Conservation Agency in Bali has restated its commitment to ensuring that the welfare of all Sumatran Elephants managed by conservation parks in Bali is preserved and enhanced. This enhancement will be carried out through training, monitoring, and improving animal welfare standards ”to ensure that elephant management remains in line with conservation principles and wildlife protection ethics.”

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”As a follow-up to the Circular Memorandum, we have reached out to all conservation institutions in Bali and continue to monitor the memorandum’s implementation,” said Ratna Hendratmoko in his capacity as Head of the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), on 15 January 2026.

Based on data provided by KSDA-Bali, among the total 13 conservation agencies and parks operating in Bali, five currently care for a total of 83 Sumatran Elephants.

Mason Elephant Park
Bakas Adventure Elephant Park
Bali Zoo
Tasta Zoo – Tabanan, West Bali
Taman Safari Bali

In anticipation of the coming ban, The Bali Zoo (CV Bali Harmoni) permanently suspended offering elephant rides effective 01 January 2026. The KSDA-Bali expressed its appreciation to The Bali Zoo for embracing the prohibition on elephant rides even before the official ban was formally implemented.

Ratna Hendratmoko warned that any of the five parks in Bali that are home to Sumatran elephants will face stern enforcement if they continue to offer elephant rides after the ride ban is issued. “Sanctions can include formal written warnings and include the suspension of company operating licenses in accordance with the law,” warned Ratna.

Ratna continued: “We are committed to ensuring that every elephant receives the best possible care, in accordance with ethical animal welfare standards. We are also encouraging conservation organizations to develop a roadmap for transforming elephant tourism that is innovative and educational, in line with conservation principles.”

Reflected the new official hardline against elephant rides, issued on 13 January 2026, PT Wisatareksa Gajah Perdana (Mason Elephant Park and Lodge) received a “first warning” from Ratna Hendratmoko’s presumably for providing elephant rides to the paying public.

The new prohibition on elephant rides is not without controversy, with objections from elephant park operators and members of the public who frequent the parks.

Balidiscovery reached out to Nigel Mason, the founder of The Mason Elephant Park and Lodge, who has written a detailed rebuttal to what he vehemently views as an official measure that fails to acknowledge “best practice” among many elephant park proprietors and is, in the end, sure to accelerate the rate of extinction for the dwindling global population of Sumatran elephants.

Read Nigel Mason’s response here

Meanwhile, Ratna told the press that his office and the new regulation are guided by five internationally acknowledged principles of animal welfare, namely:

Captive animals must not be made to endure hunger or thirst.
Captive animals must be maintained in ways that avoid discomfort.
Captive animals must live in ways that are free of fear.
Captive animals must be kept free of pain.
Captive animals must be free to express their natural behavior.

Tourism and animal park observers await future developments, including regulations that will impact elephant parks, orangutan encounters and sanctuaries, photo opportunities with Sumatran tigers, dolphin shows, and the future of the Komodo National Park.