Table 1.

Summary of significant events in the management and use of captive elephants in Thailand.

Year	Event
Late 13th century	Sukhothai kingdom: wild elephants caught and trained for war
Late 17th century	Ayutthaya kingdom: wild elephants caught and trained for war
Late 18th century	Rattanakosin era: wild elephants caught and trained for war
Late 19th century	Logging industry: wild and captive-born elephants employed for building roads and dragging logs to export sites
1921	Wild Elephant Protection Act: killing or capture of wild elephants prohibited
1939	Draught Animal Act: elephants considered private property
1969	Young Elephant Training Center established in Lampang
1970	Hill Tribe trekking tours established in northern Thailand
1972	Young Elephant Training Center established in Chiang Dao
1989	Logging prohibited by law
1990	Elephant camps established to provide work for former logging elephants
1992	Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC) established in Lampang (later change to National Elephant Institute (NEI))
2017	Captive population census updated using DNA fingerprinting
Today	Elephants mainly used in tourism, with some working in rubber plantations in the south