I was told this is a "sanctuary" for rescued elephants - WRONG. This is a highly unethical circus that uses pick axes to control the elephants. I observed one small elephant repetitively 'bopping' his head - a sign of anxiety, distress, frustration, and a well-known red flag for poor animal welfare rather than natural behaviour. The elephants are relentlessly worked for hours and hours on end, taking naive tourists for rides, doing laps of a small pool under duress, and being commanded to behave in unnatural ways. The incentive is clearly to make as much money as possible as, beyond the park entry fee, each additional activity is charged for. The handlers quickly conceal the pick axes when tourists are taking videos. PLEASE, DO NOT support this unethical park. Every rupee spent here keeps these beautiful animals captive. Maybe it's true that they've been rescued (I doubt it), but what is a fact, if you open your eyes and stop caring so much about your photo opportunity, is these elephants are slaves. My heart breaks for these magnificent beings.