An elephant back ride is as essential to an authentic South-East Asian travel experience to most people around the world as a trip to Chandni Chowk is to any Dilli shaadi. It's one of the biggest tourist attractions on this side of the world. And while a slow tour on the back of gentle giant seems like a lovely, fairly harmless prospect, there's a dark torturous secret behind every elephant ride out there.

Phajaan involves confining very young elephants in cages too small for them to move or lay down and they are often beaten and starved of food and water. This cruelty continues until the elephant's captors feel it has been sufficiently broken to the point where it is ready to take commands - which can take as long as months.

A whopping majority of tourists around the world are unaware of this practice when they sign up for elephants rides and other attractions.

But one nature park has made it their business to not only rescue and care for several elephants from the painful clutches of torture, but to spread awareness about this ghastly practice to help put an end to it - Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand.