Mistreatment of Elephants in Thailand

Mistreatment of Elephants in Thailand

By Erin Sledge

I had the opportunity to go on a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand. I was so excited to taste amazing food, learn the history and culture, see traditional dance performances, walk through temples and, especially, see the elephants. Seeing the elephants in Chiang Mai is a big tourist attraction so I followed the “tourist crowd” and signed up for an elephant performance and ride excursion.

I watched the elephants draw pictures, do handstands, carry people around, and play soccer. Although it was impressive, it greatly saddened me as the other audience members fully enjoyed it without feeling remorse for the elephants.

My experience has taught me to research before participating in mainstream/tourist activities and has also inspired me to inform others of the elephants’ situation in Thailand, prevent one from supporting hurtful causes, and teach people how we can help these animals.

Although elephant circuses and elephant rides are main attractions for tourists, many are unaware of the cruel ways that the elephants are treated in order to entertain. Capturing elephants for the tourism industry is driven by the fact that tourists want to ride and see elephants perform tricks (Karsten). In order to train elephants to perform in shows, trainers break the spirit of the elephant at a young age by confining them and tying them up in a small space, starving them, and beating them with a sharp metal object called a bullhook (Nagle). As I was on an elephant during the elephant ride, I saw that the elephant rider held a bullhook and I also noticed open wounds and scars on the elephant’s shoulders and head. Elephant trainers use bullhooks to control elephants with the fear of punishment (Nagle). About 5% of Thailand’s elephants are wild and have laws that protect them; this leaves the rest of the domesticated elephant population to be abused (Nagle). Since logging became illegal due to the destruction of forests, elephants are now forced to tourist attractions and street begging by owners that are not familiar with the old knowledge of traditional elephant training (Nagle).

The Elephant Nature Park is a 250-acre sanctuary located in Chiang Mai, Thailand that cares for elephants and other animals like cats, dogs, and buffalos. Their goals are to care for their animals, restore the environment, preserve their culture, and educate visitors. This park also provides various volunteer opportunities to work and care for the elephants.

Click here to learn about them and donate to support this wonderful foundation http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

The Asian Elephant Foundation’s goals are to promote education and awareness, solve human-elephant conflicts, and be involved with the well being of elephants. This organization supports many other projects that spread awareness and raise money to provide for the care of elephants such as Elephant Parade, which auctions and sells art pieces.

Click here to learn more on their website and contribute to this cause http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

Information Sources:

Why You Shouldn’t Ride Elephants in Thailand

By Matthew Karsten

http://expertvagabond.com/elephants-in-thailand/

The Scandal of “Elephant Shows” in Thailand

By Gabrielle Nagle

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/world/thailand-elephants.html#cr

Pictures:

Image 1 : http://www.leho360.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/6598145089029138433.jpg

Image 2: https://www.google.com/search?q=elephants+in+elephant+nature+park&biw=1173&bih=546&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_AHwVO6PE8KrggSUtoHQCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#imgdii=_&imgrc=0TEkUfIrZWxjJM%253A%3BcwIJX2RBbThyJM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi2.wp.com%252Fgreenglobaltravel.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252Fbaby-elephant-navann-31.jpg%253Fresize%253D648%25252C486%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgreenglobaltravel.com%252F2014%252F02%252F23%252Felephant-nature-park-thailand%252F%3B648%3B486

Image 3: http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/elephant-ent-20.jpg

Image 4: http://dingo.care2.com/pictures/c2c/share/37/378/877/3787781_370.jpg

Image 5: http://www.boundingoveroursteps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Surin-Elephant-Roundup-Elephant-Bullhook.jpg

 

Throughout a period of one-year, OC Animal Care takes in more than 30,000 stray, abandoned, and unwanted dogs, cats, bunnies, and other animals including exotic birds and reptiles. Most of the people who abandon their pets do so because they are not able to care for them due to medical conditions the pet may develop and/or special care that the pet needs such as special diet and administering medications. Animals, like humans, have illnesses and conditions that scare people away from the ownership of that pet. These reasons are why our group decided to promote pet adoption from animal shelters and rescues vs. buying a pet from a breeder.

One of our group members experienced the battle with the medical issues her kitten had when she adopted a homeless (stray) three-month old kitten. The kitten's name is Love and she is two years old now. She is an indoor only pet. When she first arrived to the group member's home, Love had allergies to regular cat food, fungal skin disease (ringworm), dry eye condition, conjunctivitis, tapeworms and some other issues. With the loving care and persistence of her owner, Love is now a happy young cat who turned out to be the best roommate and cuddle buddy.

With that said, adopting a pet is not always cute and furry. It takes commitment and time in case the pet needs medical attention or any other special treatments such as a special diet. However, giving a pet a loving home, that is adopting a pet from shelters or rescues, is the most rewarding move someone can make. In most cases, the person adopting also saves that pet's life from being euthanized. As we mentioned above, OC Animal Care receives approximately 30,000 animals a year. If one household takes in one animal during that year, most likely all of those animals would have loving homes and would still be ALIVE.

The link below shows the accumulated statistics of the OC Animal Care for the year of 2013:

http://media.ocgov.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=34085

Our hearts break when we see the cat euthanasia rate of 50% for the year! Like we mentioned above, Love is the best cuddle buddy and can be called self trained service cat who keeps the home of our group member happy with her loving and affectionate personality. 

The link below takes you to the adoptable pets page of OC Animal Care:

http://petadoption.ocpetinfo.com/Adopt/

Below link will guide you to the "4 Easy Steps" to adoption from OC Animal Care:

http://media.ocgov.com/gov/occr/animal/adopt/steps.asp

In case you are not ready to befriend one of the furry or exotic friends, the link below is for OC Animal Care donation page where every penny goes to a GOOD CAUSE:

http://media.ocgov.com/gov/occr/animal/involve/donate/default.asp

Meet Clarice!!!!!! 

Clarice is a 10 year old female feline who has been selected to be a pet of the week at the OC Animal Care by its volunteers. She has some issues which their veterinarian is currently treating. According to the volunteers, she is very affectionate and lovable. All she wants is someone to "cuddle up with on the couch and spend some quality time". 

YOU CAN BE THE ONE TO GIVE CLARICE A LOVING HOME!