A cafe in Thailand has been slammed for letting tourists sit on a chained elephant's TUSKS before they ride through filthy green water.

Shocking footage shows a mahout jabbing a sharp bull hook into the jumbo's head while visitors grin for selfies.

The weary elephant is chained up by the ankles in the hot sun and has to endure hundreds of people sitting on its ivory tusks.

Other jumbos at the cruel attraction in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, have to carry tourists through a dirty green pond while others watch from a balcony.

Animal Rights Group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) slammed the cafe, which opened in August and was filmed last week.

PETA Asia representative Nirali Shah said the cafe was ''nothing more than a cheap captive elephant centre.''

She added: ''Elephants in Thailand are taken away from their home and herd and forced to spend most of their lives in chains, living in fear of being prodded with sharp metal-tipped weapons. Tourists who pay to ride or sit on their tusks, with or without a cup of coffee, are responsible for this cycle of abuse.''

Nirali warned that riding elephants can cause the spread of tuberculosis through close contact with humans.

She said: ''When these infected animals are forced to give rides, they come into close contact with many humans and other elephants, exposing all of them to the disease.

''PETA urges all domestic and foreign tourists in Thailand to never visit Mong Change Café or any facility that promotes the exploitation of elephants.''

The Mong Chang Cafe was launched on August 2 with the gimmick of being the country's only elephant watching cafe. It opened following the easing of coronavirus restrictions and currently houses 20 elephants.

It features net hammocks where customers can watch the elephants carry people around.

Cafe manager Purimprat Chaiyakam said the facility was launched to try and boost revenues for their adjoining 'elephant village' following the devastating affect of the coronavirus on tourism.

He said they struggled to care for the elephants while sustaining pay for their mahouts.

He said: "We designed this cafe during the closure period for tourists and residents who like animals and want to drink coffee at the same time. The cafe will help us raise money to keep the expenses under control."

Animal rights activists have long been criticising Thailand's wildlife tourism, particularly elephants as accessories to tourist attractions.

Non-profit organisation World Animal Protection said their researchers assessed almost 3,000 captive elephants in 2017and found that more than three quarters of these animals live "severely cruel" conditions.