Cambodia to ban elephant rides at Angkor temples

End to cruelty: Tourists riding on an elephant at the Angkor Wat temples in Siem Reap. These rides will come to an end beginning next year. — AFP

Phnom Penh: Cambodia will ban all elephant rides at the country’s famed Angkor temple park by early next year, an official said, a rare win for conservationists who have long decried the popular practice as cruel.

The Angkor archaeological complex in northern Siem Reap attracts the bulk of the kingdom’s foreign tourists – which topped six million in 2018 – and many opt for elephant rides around the ancient temples.