‘Skeletal’ baby elephant forced to bang head to rave music as Thailand zoo visitors laugh

Jane Dalton 

 

 

An emaciated baby elephant is forced to bang her head to rave music, “play” musical instruments and perform tricks under the threat of painful punishment at a Thai zoo, investigators have found.

 

Behind-the-scenes footage also shows the young animal chained up and repeatedly sucking on her trunk – a sign of distress – when away from the tourist shows.

 

The infant elephant, dubbed “a real-life Dumbo”, is made to join “distressing” performances up to three times a day at Phuket Zoo.

 

Full story: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/elephant-zoo-thailand-phuket-animal-cruelty-rave-music-a8858086.html

 

INDEPENDENT: 2019-04-07

9 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

repeatedly sucking on her trunk – a sign of distress

And yet those in charge who should recognise such distress continue to mistreat the animal. If performed in the west, there would be outrage and the zoo would most likely be closed and people go to jail for such abuse. Here, the crowd laugh and it goes on raising revenue. I always thought before coming here that Buddhists would be the sweetest people who went out of their way to look after creatures, not abuse them for cash. I can only hope that something will be done to help, though with money talking so loudly, I sadly suspect the elephant is going to live a miserable existence. Shameful.

Hopefully Dumbo at a later stage from memory trample all involved to death???? 

Just now, darksidedog said:

And yet those in charge who should recognise such distress continue to mistreat the animal. If performed in the west, there would be outrage and the zoo would most likely be closed and people go to jail for such abuse. Here, the crowd laugh and it goes on raising revenue. I always thought before coming here that Buddhists would be the sweetest people who went out of their way to look after creatures, not abuse them for cash. I can only hope that something will be done to help, though with money talking so loudly, I sadly suspect the elephant is going to live a miserable existence. Shameful.

I would have never thought that budhists would have animal fights and bet on them on a large scale...the fighting roosters are are in every street on a huge scale. Terrible.

These people sicken me. They really are the scum of the earth.

20 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Skeletal’ baby elephant forced to bang head to rave music as Thailand zoo visitors laugh

It is good this story was published in the international news so the world at large can see the animal cruelty practices of the Thais all in the name of money and greed.

I hope PM Prayut feels proud of his fellow countrymen including the infantile fools who enjoy such asinine cruelty. 

10 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I would have never thought that budhists would have animal fights and bet on them on a large scale...the fighting roosters are are in every street on a huge scale. Terrible.

In Thailand, culture always trumps religion. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/animals.shtml

Thais have in GENERAL little concept of taking care of animals albeit dogs elephants etc.

Zoos come under money making NOT animal welfare ! 

Feeding dogs is a chore done to gain benefit for them ! remember Thais will not do something for nothing its just not in their mindset.

 

As another poster said these bunch are pure scum lets hope karma or an elephant stamping on someones head takes its course

Thais.......Buddhists? What ever gave you that idea?

 

Why is it that when bad things happen in Thailand, people express shock because they think Thais are Buddhist, but, when things bad happen in Europe, nobody expresses surprise because these countries are Christian?

Disgusting.

And the tourists who support it are disgusting too.

.......and just down the road are performing dolphins.

The more we educate people about elephant abuse maybe more and more people will boycott riding on elephants &elephant shows.

I am puzzled how the elephant is the national animal of Thailand ( and respected in Buddhism); yet, there are no laws to protect them in Thailand. 

The laughing visitors should be locked up in the zoo for a week and given bananas and peanuts to eat.

Would the visitors be Chinese ?? wont watch myself.

Has anybody contacted The Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ?

A number of reported off topic posts have been removed.

8 minutes ago, Hoylake said:

Has anybody contacted The Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ?

There you go. Pick up the phone and let them know.

http://www.thaispca.com/en/contact.php

Thai Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

B.L.H. Building, 9 Floor, 7/1 Wireless Road.

Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

 

Tel. : 66 (0) 2255 5805-7  
Fax : 66 (0) 2255 5808  
E-mail : [email protected] 

Website : www.thaispca.org

45 minutes ago, Moo 2 said:

The laughing visitors should be locked up in the zoo for a week and given bananas and peanuts to eat.

Looking at the picture below it is easy to see who the majority of visitors are. The place is probably owned by Chinese Thais, but the audience at this zoo  entertainment centre is largely western tourists and by now probably a lot of Chinese.

I don't blame all Thais as blanket condemnation of the many for the sins of the few is just ignorance. Phuket exists for tourists and as long as the money flows, the mistreatment will go on.

https://www.google.com/search?q=phuket+zoo&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CcKQRh_1YC95VIjiYFq7zM1iMskTKkbuoZXR5LbyRkcqZPBkp7rkyNiP2KtKkb4ZIdvCeAnihp9Fznle37lFTWYJMlioSCZgWrvMzWIyyETZVtp-5FF3tKhIJRMqRu6hldHkRijIiwpj_1QUsqEgktvJGRypk8GRHBrELv03gC2CoSCSnuuTI2I_1YqEWOIWZBqIjtGKhIJ0qRvhkh28J4RZhBAQxS-agUqEgkCeKGn0XOeVxG4wIO2uhyxxyoSCbfuUVNZgkyWEcc3ikfGBhdd&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWiaWMiL3hAhWzW3wKHVphB-kQ9C96BAgBEBg&biw=1280&bih=590&dpr=1.5

18 minutes ago, Hoylake said:

Has anybody contacted The Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ?

You may well pickup your defamation suit up at departures on the way out???? 

2 hours ago, fruitman said:

I would have never thought that budhists would have animal fights and bet on them on a large scale...the fighting roosters are are in every street on a huge scale. Terrible.

Like all 'religious societies', they are hypocrites. 

3 hours ago, DavisH said:

In Thailand, culture always trumps religion. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/animals.shtml

dead right

Thailand LO elephants Smile.

Although I oppose elephants in shows, this article is pure fluff and is only outrage mining.

For starters the elephant is not skeletal, it looks normal. 2 The elephant is not banging its head, but it does shake it in a normal way that elephants do. The music is not rave music, just Thai instruments and why would it matter anyway? 4 there is this spurious suggestion "At one point, trainers were seen scraping the animals with bullhooks – which investigators suspect was a reminder to the elephants that they may be jabbed with the sharp tools." this is innuendo and not observed by the writer. 5 There is the spurious suggestion that the baby elephant sucking its trunk is a sign of distress. When in fact a minute on Google will show you that this is normal behaviour for elephants and is equal to a baby sucking its thumb or a dummy.

I don't mind exposing animal cruelty, but I am opposed to journalists telling lies for clicks,

 

Standard practice for Thailand, extort money from any available avenue !

6 hours ago, KittenKong said:

These people sicken me. They really are the scum of the earth.

The whole idea of zoos, circuses with performing lions and tigers, bears, elephants, dogs, horses, or sea-aquariums with performing porpoises, seals, Orcas , alligator farms, etc. are unsettling to me. There is widespread animal abuse in all of these venues. Taking animals from their native habitats, forcing them into cages or shackling them to chains staked in the ground limiting their movements to a very small area, training them to do tricks with whips, hooked poles, withholding food as punishment is happening around the world. The owners of these venues state lofty ideals of how they are doing research, bringing these creatures to those who'd never see them, may believe what they espouse. But they are in the entertainment money making business. I certainly hope KittenKong is including ALL of these people when expressing their sentiments and not limiting it to Thais.

Several off topic posts removed.

 

9 hours ago, fruitman said:

I would have never thought that budhists would have animal fights and bet on them on a large scale...the fighting roosters are are in every street on a huge scale. Terrible.

Buddhists... What Buddhist!

Good luck trying to find real Buddhist here in Thailand. Just because you are born in Thailand, does not make you a Buddhist.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, fruitman said:

I would have never thought that budhists would have animal fights and bet on them on a large scale...the fighting roosters are are in every street on a huge scale. Terrible.

And just why would you think Buddhists are any different to other religions ? One thing makes them tick and one thing only and by any means fair or foul -  Money.   I suspect if the owners/trainers of this poor elephant had one ounce of conscience they would not be doing it, irrespective of their religion.

Boycott the zoo- it's an awful place and has been in the headlines numerous times for its treatment of animals.

Anyone who would find amusement in watching a half starved young elephant trained to bang its head to the beat of music is truly disgusting.  This type of animal abuse is common place in third world countries.