Canadian tourist in hospital after falling from an elephant ride

By The Thaiger

 

 

Chalong Police have headed to the scene of an incident at an elephant camp near Nark Kerd Hill in Chalong at 2.15pm yesterday.

 

Police and rescue workers arrived to find a 38 year old female Canadian tourist who has sustained left leg injuries and was taken to the Bangkok Hospital Phuket.

 

Wirawit Pakprom, the elephant’s mahout, told police that the female tourist was with a male friend. They were both on a 16 year old male elephant name ‘Plai Benz’ (‘Plai’ a Thai word used to put in front of the elephant’s name).

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/canadian-tourist-in-hospital-after-falling-from-an-elephant-ride

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2018-11-09

No sympathy for a person who chose to commit a wrongful act. Western tourists know that what they are doing is not appropriate and they cannot say they are unaware since there are information campaigns to inform them. If the woman was checking her google to look up elephant rides then she will have surely seen the multiple articles detailing the  horrid practices of these elephant ride operations particularly  on the island of Phuket.

 

We all know how irresponsible and selfish the tourism operators are in Phuket, whether it be the poacher of the slow loris, the poacher of turtles, the destroyer of coral reefs, the encroacher of  protected lands, the unethical collection of fish and shellfish etc. such that an ethical and responsible person would steer clear of these operations.

 

As a reminder, the use of endangered Asian elephants for commercial tourism is a wrongful act because;

1. It encourages the ongoing destruction of natural habitat that should be preserved for the less than 2000 wild Asian elephants left in Thailand.

2. Elephants used for commercial purposes are often illegally   through poaching.

3. The  elephants used for tourism have been cruelly treated. It is well documented that the  young elephants are beaten, deprived of sleep and are malnourished.

4. It is an established fact that elephants used in the tourism trade are cruelly treated and poorly cared for including, being subject to electrical shock, inappropriate drugging and the standard beatings.

 

To be blunt, I hope this fall knocked some sense into this  environmentally irresponsible tourist.

 

 

I reckon her insurance company will giggle when they see she 'fell off ' a Benz!!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

3 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

No sympathy for a person who chose to commit a wrongful act. Western tourists know that what they are doing is not appropriate and they cannot say they are unaware since there are information campaigns to inform them. If the woman was checking her google to look up elephant rides then she will have surely seen the multiple articles detailing the  horrid practices of these elephant ride operations particularly  on the island of Phuket.

 

We all know how irresponsible and selfish the tourism operators are in Phuket, whether it be the poacher of the slow loris, the poacher of turtles, the destroyer of coral reefs, the encroacher of  protected lands, the unethical collection of fish and shellfish etc. such that an ethical and responsible person would steer clear of these operations.

 

As a reminder, the use of endangered Asian elephants for commercial tourism is a wrongful act because;

1. It encourages the ongoing destruction of natural habitat that should be preserved for the less than 2000 wild Asian elephants left in Thailand.

2. Elephants used for commercial purposes are often illegally   through poaching.

3. The  elephants used for tourism have been cruelly treated. It is well documented that the  young elephants are beaten, deprived of sleep and are malnourished.

4. It is an established fact that elephants used in the tourism trade are cruelly treated and poorly cared for including, being subject to electrical shock, inappropriate drugging and the standard beatings.

 

To be blunt, I hope this fall knocked some sense into this  environmentally irresponsible tourist.

 

 

No blame attributed to the Thai authorities then, who allow this kind of business to happen?  It is solely the tourist's fault?

3 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

No sympathy for a person who chose to commit a wrongful act. Western tourists know that what they are doing is not appropriate and they cannot say they are unaware since there are information campaigns to inform them. If the woman was checking her google to look up elephant rides then she will have surely seen the multiple articles detailing the  horrid practices of these elephant ride operations particularly  on the island of Phuket.

 

We all know how irresponsible and selfish the tourism operators are in Phuket, whether it be the poacher of the slow loris, the poacher of turtles, the destroyer of coral reefs, the encroacher of  protected lands, the unethical collection of fish and shellfish etc. such that an ethical and responsible person would steer clear of these operations.

 

As a reminder, the use of endangered Asian elephants for commercial tourism is a wrongful act because;

1. It encourages the ongoing destruction of natural habitat that should be preserved for the less than 2000 wild Asian elephants left in Thailand.

2. Elephants used for commercial purposes are often illegally   through poaching.

3. The  elephants used for tourism have been cruelly treated. It is well documented that the  young elephants are beaten, deprived of sleep and are malnourished.

4. It is an established fact that elephants used in the tourism trade are cruelly treated and poorly cared for including, being subject to electrical shock, inappropriate drugging and the standard beatings.

 

To be blunt, I hope this fall knocked some sense into this  environmentally irresponsible tourist.

 

 

You are absolutely correct - I had a real go at a visiting friend who wanted a picture sitting with an Orangutan- it’s a lack of education- total disrespect to some of the world’s magnificent creatures- they have been here a awful lot longer than Homo Sapiens 

And I hate to say within say 50- 100 years many will have disappeared ( the Chinese are the worst ) 

Well..Thai's and their internet minions are heavily into blaming others...

 

How the others dare to breathe in Cloud Cuckoo Land* is beyond me..

 

*Cloud Cuckoo Land was first described by Aristophanes in 428 BC-he had obviously come as a tourist to Siam and had fallen off an elephant..

 

As you do.

 

Very fortunately there were very few expats at that time to carry on in their usually moralistic,sententious manner (Leo-Platonism)with the result that we have a wonderful play to contemplate and enjoy.

 

My quandary is I know and have as friends people who own and use their Elephants to give rides to Tourists, all I have seen is that they treat them much better than an expensive tool.

My meaning of the word tool is this is what they use to make money and survive, a tool can be abused or treasured.

In the case of my friends Elephants they are treasured and humanised, a few examples;

they all have names and they respond to them,

they have personalities and these are respected,

they are worked, carrying Tourists but never overloaded or worked continuously,

beatings are not used, if a slap with the hand doesn’t work try persuasion, much safer for all involved, an Elephant weighs a couple of tons!

I have seen the videos of the cruelty involved in training and I cannot defend any of it but over the last couple of years have watched an Elephant born in captivity being trained. NO cruelty is involved, teaching her to behave is just like teaching a child, yes, she has been slapped and pushed but this is by a twenty year old who possibly weighs 70 kg, no harm done. The outcome for this young girl is very uncertain, what is going to happen to her if she can’t help the family to earn a living, will keeping Elephants for public entertainment be banned, if so who will feed and shelter her?.

I have no answer to the problem, I hate cruelty but agree that animals can be used by man for his benefit, how many of us admire a person on horseback, what is the difference.

Just a final note, the head owners wife had a baby two years ago and when they came home from Hospital he took the three day old baby and introduced her to each of the six Elephants, she now has six Elephant Aunts.

Final final note, I have never ridden an Elephant, always politely refused but have been picked up by one after running out of bananas, everyone in hysterics apart from me.

the real pain will set in when she gets the bill from bkk phuket hospital

Everyone have to work for living, including elephants. 

Just make sure the working els get enough rest and food.

Wild animals are best viewed from afar. I have an agreement with elephants and other wild animals. I don't ride them and they don't ride me.

Elephants are not designed to carry weight on their backs. This nonsense needs to stop.

As if the torturous beatings aren't enough cruel abuse on these majestic creatures.

 

"Instead of smooth, round spinal disks, elephants have sharp bony protrusions that extend upwards from their spine," Carol Buckley, president of Elephant Aid International, said. "These bony protrusions and the tissue protecting them are vulnerable to weight and pressure coming from above."

In addition to wearing down the delicate tissue and bones on an elephant's back, the chairs can also damage the skin and cause painful lesions on the elephant's body, according to Buckley.

Elephants are not designed to carry weight on their backs. This nonsense needs to stop.
As if the torturous beatings aren't enough cruel abuse on these majestic creatures.
 
"Instead of smooth, round spinal disks, elephants have sharp bony protrusions that extend upwards from their spine," Carol Buckley, president of Elephant Aid International, said. "These bony protrusions and the tissue protecting them are vulnerable to weight and pressure coming from above."
In addition to wearing down the delicate tissue and bones on an elephant's back, the chairs can also damage the skin and cause painful lesions on the elephant's body, according to Buckley.

What about horses?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

6 minutes ago, roo860 said:

 

What about horses?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

Are you that ignorant & blind not to see the difference between a horse & an elephants skeletal structure??

Are you that ignorant & blind not to see the difference between a horse & an elephants skeletal structure??

Oh yes, my mistake, horses don't have a trunk.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

cool, the ignorant <removed> should know better.

7 hours ago, Johnnyngai said:

Everyone have to work for living, including elephants. 

Just make sure the working els get enough rest and food.

Johnny and chicken, how do you figure?  Everyone have to work for a living... (sic). 

 

I have a dog. It doesn't work.  Lots of domesticated animals do not work.  I have a small child.  She doesn't work either.  I imagine lots of animals in the wild don't work, too.  So...what do you mean?

Inflammatory remark and subsequent exchanges removed.

7 hours ago, Benmart said:

Wild animals are best viewed from afar. I have an agreement with elephants and other wild animals. I don't ride them and they don't ride me.

These aren't wild animals, same as your cat or dog.

I don't believe there have ever been wild elephants in Thailand.