According to the survey by the Thai Elephant Alliance Association, Thailand has around 3,700 to 3,800 elephants to work for tourism, almost all of them have become jobless due to the economic conditions and COVID-19 pandemic which makes it’s difficult for the mahouts to take care of them as each elephant eats what is equal to 10% of their weight while they’re 2,000 – 5,000 kg.

 

Srettha Thavisin, Director of Sansiri Public Company Limited, came up with the idea to offer the company’s 70 rai of empty land in San Kamphaeng District, Chiang Mai Province for growing Napier grass with the help of locals and mahouts to feed the elephants.

 

The idea has led many organizations and companies in Chiang Mai to step up to offer their empty lands or donate food for elephants.

 

However, there’s still no support from the government in all these 2 years amid appeals from the Elephant Alliance Association to the government to see these elephants as a national treasure of Thailand.

 

-- © Copyright A24 News Agency 2022-02-24

 

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The Thai government should be ashamed at not helping to protect Thailand's emblem. But they are quite happy to use them on ceremonial occasions though. Shameful.????

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

However, there’s still no support from the government in all these 2 years amid appeals from the Elephant Alliance Association to the government to see these elephants as a national treasure of Thailand.

A national treasure my ar#se... 3,800 elephants for the tourist trade.

That's disgusting, just for profit, nothing else.

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

A national treasure my ar#se... 3,800 elephants for the tourist trade.

That's disgusting, just for profit, nothing else.

Here here! See, and saw the poor lonely chained animals around the cape area on Phuket during the worst periods of the 'situation' and it makes me both searingly angry and tearful at the shame time. Chained up alone, no rivers to swim in, no freedom, poked and prodded to give some mindless selfish tourist a thrill to sit on. B.gger off!

Don't go anywhere near these animal torture places.

Covid is the best thing that could happen for many elephants.  No longer making a profit for their keepers, maybe they'll be freed back to the wild.

 

End the torture camps.

There are still a few sanctuaries that protect the well being of these magnificent animals. Those are the ones that should be supported. In any case it’s not the elephants fault and none of them should be deprived of food.