Covid-19: Thousands of people laid off, millions lost in revenue as elephant businesses close in Chiang Mai

[webfact]

Covid-19: Thousands of people laid off, millions lost in revenue as elephant businesses close in Chiang Mai

 

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

The coronavirus outbreak is having a devastating effect on elephant parks in Chiang Mai. 

 

Most of them have closed their doors and laid off thousands of staff.

 

Those that remain open don't have enough funds to break even. 

 

Chaing Mai News went to the Mae Tong elephant park where they spoke with Bantha Chailert. 

 

His business - that like all others relied on the Chinese - has been decimated. 

 

He used to have 1,000 tourists a day. Now there are 50 Thais or Europeans. Break even would be 400. 

 

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

Elephants need to be fed and staff paid. Reporters found elephants just idling about when normally it would be busy. 

 

Just then a tour group came - but it was the first in March. 

 

Bantha said that there were 93 elephant parks in Chiang Mai - 85 have closed down. Five thousand staff have been laid off. 

 

One thousand elephants are idle. 

 

Damage to his business runs into 3-5 million baht and for the industry as a whole it is much worse. 

 

Source: Chiang Mai News

 

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[worgeordie]

The upside,....the Elephants will be pleased with a rest.

regards Worgeordie

[Captain_Bob]

No tourists = no money = no food or medical care for elephants. Doubt the elephants will be pleased with that. Another eggs-basket failure. 

[Changoverandout]

Good, the elephants will have time to heal their bullhook wounds inflicted by the ‘mahoots’ !!! Bastards!

[petedk]

I hope someone takes care of the poor elephants and they don't starve to death.

[rasmus5150]

93 Elephant camps in CHX ???...???...

 

I really hope that the government agencies that allow this horrible practice, will support the camps so the elephants don't suffer.

 

Hopefully this will stop people from opening more of these macabre spectacles ......

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, rasmus5150 said:

93 Elephant camps in CHX ???...???...

 

I really hope that the government agencies that allow this horrible practice, will support the camps so the elephants don't suffer.

 

Hopefully this will stop people from opening more of these macabre spectacles ......

What is "horrible" about these camps ?

They are ex logging elephants who would have been killed if the parks didnt exist 

[graemeaylward]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Reporters found elephants just idling about

I wonder how elephants "idle about"!  I have visions of them still in their pyjamas and slippers at midday, casually thumbing through a copy of the Financial Times, or sitting in deck chairs with knotted handkerchiefs on their heads supping a pint of Tennents Extra Strong beer! Some may even be playing Candy Crush on their mobiles!

[orang37]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Bantha said that there were 93 elephant parks in Chiang Mai - 85 have closed down. Five thousand staff have been laid off.  One thousand elephants are idle. 

 

Elevephanting  numbers !

 

~o:37;

[frequentatore]

1 hour ago, Changoverandout said:

Good, the elephants will have time to heal their bullhook wounds inflicted by the ‘mahoots’ !!! Bastards!

Exactly. I've seen during a ride in Ayutthaya an elephant being hit on the head and bleeding. 

[legend49]

Bantha said that there were 93 elephant parks in Chiang Mai - 85 have closed down. Five thousand staff have been laid off. 

 

That is total BS. No way 93 elephant parks in CM. He should be charged with fake news.

This is what Google will give you 9 sanctuaries and this list

1. Hug Elephant Sanctuary
2. Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary & Trekking
3. Kanta Elephant Sanctuary
4. Elephant Rescue Park
5. Maerim Elephant Sanctuary
6. Elephant Valley (Chiang Rai)
7. Patara Elephant Farm
8. Elephant Nature Park
9. Thai Elephant Home

[Nyezhov]

Well then its time for the bunny huggers and peta and all the enviro wwf chatterers to step up, buy these elephants and end the business of elephant riding. Probably could put them all out of biz and have the elephants moved to refuges for what, $5 million US? Pocket change. What are we waiting for.

 

Probably the elephants will starve first.

[EricTh]

This goes to show how much Thailand depends on Chinese tourists.

 

Even the 50 Thai or European tourists cannot match their numbers.

[CanuckThai]

Thailand will now have 1.01% unemployment.  

[losername]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

What is "horrible" about these camps ?

They are ex logging elephants who would have been killed if the parks didnt exist 

Logging was banned in 1989.  That means that any ex-logging elephant must have been mature and trained at that time.  Now, they would be maybe 40+ years old. From what I have seen there are a few older elephants but many appear considerably younger than that.  Horrible?  Yes.  Where is the dignity in seeing these fine animals painting, playing football or polo and other entirely unnatural activities?  I would suggest that the elephant parks are the least bad offenders.  I hate to see the real babies being dragged around entertainment areas, being subjected to bright flashing lights in their faces, horrendous loud music, sharp jabs to make them "ask" for food and the dangers of heavy night-time traffic.  Some have no safety lights.  Their "mahouts", likewise, are too young to have ever seen a logging camp.

Edited March 12, 2020 by losername
Added a ?

[losername]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephants_in_Thailand

[NCC1701A]

i would take one of those elephants to my house and it could live in my yard. plenty to eat.

but i am sure there is some law that says you can only torture elephants.  

[simon43]

That is total BS. No way 93 elephant parks in CM. He should be charged with fake news.

This is what Google will give you 9 sanctuaries and this list

1. Hug Elephant Sanctuary
2. Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary & Trekking
3. Kanta Elephant Sanctuary
4. Elephant Rescue Park
5. Maerim Elephant Sanctuary
6. Elephant Valley (Chiang Rai)
7. Patara Elephant Farm
8. Elephant Nature Park
9. Thai Elephant Home

Nope, that's 9 LEGAL elephant parks, and 84 illegal ones... ????

[4MyEgo]

I hope the elephants survive after his businesses eventually fail and become irrelephant. 

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, petedk said:

I hope someone takes care of the poor elephants and they don't starve to death.

O course there will someone to take care of the animals.  The article said:  " millions lost in revenue" and this only in a month or so.

 

[marko kok prong]

Yes i fear for the wellbeing of the Elephants,could they not turn them loose in the jungle,but i suppose they are too domesticated to survive,sad for them.

[GeorgeCross]

this doesn't make sense. didn't they say that tourist arrivals only down 25% ?

 

so how can his business be down 95% ?

 

 

[Magenta408]

I fear that many elephants will be euthanized. If you cannot afford to feed them, what choice is there? Adopt an elephant. Call the WWF and Greta Toonloony!

[DannyCarlton]

1 hour ago, losername said:

Logging was banned in 1989.  That means that any ex-logging elephant must have been mature and trained at that time.  Now, they would be maybe 40+ years old. From what I have seen there are a few older elephants but many appear considerably younger than that.  Horrible?  Yes.  Where is the dignity in seeing these fine animals painting, playing football or polo and other entirely unnatural activities?  I would suggest that the elephant parks are the least bad offenders.  I hate to see the real babies being dragged around entertainment areas, being subjected to bright flashing lights in their faces, horrendous loud music, sharp jabs to make them "ask" for food and the dangers of heavy night-time traffic.  Some have no safety lights.  Their "mahouts", likewise, are too young to have ever seen a logging camp.

I have seen elephants used in logging activities close to Pattaya, 3 years ago.

[losername]

4 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

I have seen elephants used in logging activities close to Pattaya, 3 years ago.

That's interesting.  I would have liked to see them doing the work they had done for centuries.  I guess there might have been some kind of special licence issued on that occasion.  Several sources confirm 1989 as being the year for logging being banned.  Lots of good information in Wiki  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephants_in_Thailand

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, legend49 said:

Bantha said that there were 93 elephant parks in Chiang Mai - 85 have closed down. Five thousand staff have been laid off. 

 

That is total BS. No way 93 elephant parks in CM. He should be charged with fake news.

This is what Google will give you 9 sanctuaries and this list

1. Hug Elephant Sanctuary
2. Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary & Trekking
3. Kanta Elephant Sanctuary
4. Elephant Rescue Park
5. Maerim Elephant Sanctuary
6. Elephant Valley (Chiang Rai)
7. Patara Elephant Farm
8. Elephant Nature Park
9. Thai Elephant Home

Nine elephant parks have laid off 5,000 employees? I don't think so. That's over 500 per park!

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, sanemax said:

They are ex logging elephants who would have been killed if the parks didnt exist 

Logging was banned about 30 years ago... these are captive bred for the tourist trade only!

[mngmn]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

i would take one of those elephants to my house and it could live in my yard. plenty to eat.

but i am sure there is some law that says you can only torture elephants.  

Wrong! Elephant torturer is a protected occupation.

[RJRS1301]

2 hours ago, frequentatore said:

Exactly. I've seen during a ride in Ayutthaya an elephant being hit on the head and bleeding. 

So you were on the ride?

Encouraging the abuse if yu were, if not I apolgise in advance

[RJRS1301]

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

this doesn't make sense. didn't they say that tourist arrivals only down 25% ?

 

so how can his business be down 95% ?

 

 

Perhaps in combination with the drive to encourage people not to attend these parks due to alledged cruel practices.

I would suggest numbers have been dropping for some time hopefully