In life, there's often more going on than meets the eye. As with this pachyderm, everyone imagines them to have some dingy, opaque skin that is permanently dirt stained and basically uniform. In reality, it's just as varied as their existences are...
(this elephant lives in Chiang Rai, Thailand)
Such is the case of many elephants in SE Asia. Everyone loves to see them in a pseudo wild setting, though invariably, they are chained during a large portion of the day. Why is that? Clearly, they'd run off as they aren't the same as cows who are rather content to be corralled. When you visit, you may think that by riding the elephants you are helping keep them out of hard labor such as moving logs. Yes, they are used in that fashion as well. In reality, they are kept and used to make an income for someone instead of roaming freely in a sanctuary - there are sanctuaries in Thailand that do not employ them directly as Uber machinery alongside a river.
Vote with your conscious by not riding them. Not taking a selfie upon them thereby perpetuating the business practice of slavery.
Here's where the average visitor/tourist cannot make a change by voting with their choices. Yes, the work is heavier, but it's much less like a zoo atmosphere as the animal is exercising and doing more than just being chained to a post.
(trail created by elephants dragging logs to the boats along the Mekong)
SE Asian elephants are not often poached for meat as they are in Africa, though Bangkok is and has been a major hub for ivory transfers globally. Recently there was a gigantic ivory burn meant to dissuade ivory poachers, however, I think it only caused the value of ivory to increase.