Allyt

And i have no bats for 9 years.

Rolls of chicken fencing in the eves, placed from inside, therefore no flyable gaps. The bats struggle out and don't want to fly back in.

There needs to be some international attention focused on what's happening to gain some meaningful action.

Also a warning for all rescue organisations to be very careful about politics and who you criticise in Thailand.

You are spot on, raising awareness and humiliating government officials from within Thailand let alone a vulnerable and easy target of an NGO is nai on suicide. But times are desperate & real.

There are some big & influencial people involved in this and there are 1,000's employed within the industry that assist it's continuation.

Any actions taken now to increase awareness outside Thailand must be seen as having long term impact. Sadly the current situation will prevail until those table turn.

I too have it on good authority that ENP will be raided tomorrow.

Ally

I have been many times to FAE, it is free & very rewarding to see the work they do with the numerous cases.

Their website could assist people

http://www.elephant-soraida.com/

http://animom.tripod.com/fae.html (their older site & much of it in english)

Ally

Not sure why it's surprising. Lampang is a well run government sponsored facility. They are open to visitors and do exhibitions (in fairly good taste; showing the elephants agility and ability in tasks originally related to the logging industry, so without going into circus acts), but don't charge insane amounts of money for it.

Also it does not surprise me that they keep providing care no matter what; it's a Buddhist country where putting any animal to sleep is not common practice.

Recall the case of Motala and other elephants stepping on landmines. Common knowledge in the West is to put those asleep.

Not here.

http://www.eyesofthailand.com/

FAE is where Motalas care too place, not at the so called wonderful place next door you refer to.

Friends of Asian Elephants FAE is a small non government sponsored caring place that has to put up with bullying tactics just like most other NGO's and certainly does not receive any government funding.

The fact is, government sponsored / run places put on shows because it is seen as an earning tourist attraction. The majority of westerners coming here get taken to a show and by the looks of this thread so far, many Thaivisa posters take their families & friends too and the crowds that flock to these places generate a huge income for the people involved... everyone involved.

From the people in the forest stealing the baby, hiding it in villages whilst it is trained in the horrific manner which you can see for yourselves here ...

To the middle men who then have paid 300,000 for the baby to be captured through to delivering it to the buyer

To the many elephant camps that pay 1million baht for a trained baby that will perform as a controlled elephant

If people need to see wild animals then they should go into the wild and see them. If they wish to pay someone to humiliate a wild animal then they must admit and be looked on by others as such.

Ally

The Mae Sa elephant camp in Mae Rim is "touristy" only in the sense that they draw large crowds. Since it is a fairly large place, it does not really matter. It's not like you have to stand in line, or push through throngs of people, not even in the high season. And watching elephants playing football is not the only thing you can do there. You can observe elephants in their open air enclosures, feed them with vegetables sold by the operators, take a ride, or watch them take a bath. You can get very close and interact with the animals. Last year they had a young calf, which was a joy to see. It's a great place; we often take visitors there.

Cheers, CMX

Out of interest how much does it cost to go there ? And what did the young calf elephant do that was such a joy to see ?

Thank very much

Ally

@junglechef - What is it about elephants that you wish your friend to see?

Please be mindful about promoting that tourists would like to see an elephant paint, play football, dance or ride a bike, as that is apparently what many thai people think toursist want to see.

If you do not think a trip to Elephant Nature Park is where you want to go then perhaps a visit to Friends of Asian Elephants at Lampang to see recovering elephants being cared for would be appropriate.

However, Elephant Nature Park is as near natural setting as you will find to see 35 Elephants.

Please do not forget, that a wild animal has been tamed to be calm & controlled in a tourist area. That training is something you would not want to discuss here as it would bring further shame on thailands tourism.

Ally

From a recent raid by the Department of National Parks at the respected Wildlife Friends of Thailand Foundation, where the discussion is still ongoing about what is legal & what is not, I believe a Civet is not an animal needing registration.

In answer to you original post, I suggest you contact the Department of National Parks Thailand & discuss your question with them.

As to whether you get a response is questionalble, as is everything in respect of that department.

Ally

**Mods, this is not lobbying, it is intended to be informative.**

The vets usually looks disgusted when he checks the ears, agrees with us there is a problem, give us always the same cleaning stuff, some liquid to put in the ears before and after cleaning the ears.

Can you tell us the name / brand or content of the cleaning stuff & liquid ?

Thanks

Ally

If you haven't already caught the breaking news, the DNP are taking action... but in what direction ?

Check out

http://twitter.com/#!/EdwinWiek

http://www.wfft.org/facebook-stream

http://www.facebook.com/WildlifeFriendsFoundation/posts/10150534371132657

Ally

Have you considered contacting Dr Philip Parry http://www.doctorphilip.com He practices in Bangkok & Chiang Mai.

Good luck

Ally

Hi

Gently helped this wonderful snake out of my utility room, back into the paddy today, unharmed.

Can anyone help identify the species.

Thanks very much

Ally

Well, as I was not quite content with the identification of this snake but as on the other hand I do not have much knowledge about Thai snakes I asked as well known specialist in Thailand. His answer: without doubt a young specimen of Lycodon laoensis! its Thai name is งูปล้องฉนวนลาว (ngu plong chanuan lao). It is harmless (not poisonous).

Erwin

Thanks all

Ally

they are a totally harmless species... (though i except you may not have known that at the time)

Now if it were a human I would not have assumed that at the time !

All creatures are harmless, it's just a shame we came along to mess things up.

Ally

Hi all, thanks again for the replies.

The little snake is now back out in the garden, after I encouraged it into a bucket and was able to carry that outside.

Ally

Thanks carib & monkfish for the responses.

Don't try to remove yourself get a snake man in

Oh I see you also installed UK plugs

Yeah, you just can't beat the old 3 pin eh !

Cheers

Ally

Hi folks

Any idea what this little character is?

It was about 30cm long. Definitely black and white with no other colours.

The kink in it's tail is the result of my dog pulling from under my desk!

Thanks

Ally

Get yourself along to Pharmachoice and buy a bed @ 13k and a wheelchair @ 3k

Treat it as an investment and you won't feel so bad.

And if you don't need it after his happy recovery, you could donate it to someone less fortunate.

Ally

Care for Dogs just came of age and is delighted to announce a celebration party to share our happiness and energy with our friends, neighbours and anyone who would like to come to the party on Sunday, 7^th June 2009 between 10:00 – 16:00.

The shelter will be dressed up, the road outside closed and the tents & seating erected to give a shady welcome to everyone.

Inside the shelter the dogs will be on their best behaviour with the friendliest at the front and the most excitable in areas that people can enter if they wish.

We are planning for most eventualities but if you fancy joining one of the shelter tours and playing with the dogs, please come with comfortable doggy-friendly clothes as they might jump on you and love you like crazy.

We will have food & drinks to suit most people, cakes & coffee, classical Thai dance, a fortune wheel, and prizes and gifts. Music and ambiance will calm the heat of the day. Kids will have fun at our Kiddies Corner (Art and Craft, Scavenger Hunt, Create a Doggy Puppet).

With so many volunteers on hand to help the day run smoothly, we can assure you of an enjoyable & memorable occasion.

Come and join us! The Team @ Care for Dogs

Phone 08 47 52 52 55 (English) / 08 69 13 87 01 (Thai)

Press_text_3rd_birthday_party_11_May.doc

Thakkar, the Amorn branch nearer to you is underneath Carrefour & Homepro on the Super Highway, inside the car parking area.

But the fuller (but never have what you want, after all TIT) branch is in the front of Icon Square!

Ally

Anyone needing Nick's contact details are welcome to pm me for contact details.

This magician is talented and makes a lot of people very happy.

Why not visit Love at first bite on Saturdays @ 16:30

Ally

There were no winners yesterday, only demonstrations of power. The power to dictate and the power to restrain.

At 19:40 the magic bus moved on from the red & white marked curb / junction, where it blasted ear-splitting / damaging insults all afternoon and paraded down Changklan Road.

At 19:45 the group which sat outside at the gate all afternoon, having water and spittle showered over them, walked into the car park to re-unite with their 'locked-in' colleagues. It was a very emotional end to the day.

Like these you mean ?

A very sad day

Ally

Looking past the end of ones nose is a task some find difficult.

If some folks got out a little more and appreciated this beautiful natural environment we are lucky to be allowed to live in, debating what is right and wrong in their honest' or 'considered' opinions on these forums, may well become more realistic.

But before I venture out, consider this. A slice of bread seems quite dry when you put it into a toaster. Leaving it close to some hot filaments for a couple of minutes, browns the surface and in some cases, blackens it!

Now lay those once apparently dry and now burned slices flat on a plate. Are they now dry? No.

Now this little exercise in your imagination isn't to tickle your taste buds, or to make a fool of anyone who doesn't have an inquiring mind.

The purpose of this post is merely to draw a correlation to the pure and simple matter (that occasionally drips from the end of our noses) of moisture.

Priceless, I can see clearly.

Ally

Tip number 1 - Enjoy the scenery

Tip number 2 - Look out for those recycled car tyre waste bins - they can distract your attention.

Its a great road!

Ally