Phuket Camp Owner Defends Berserk Elephant

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Phuket camp owner defends berserk elephant

Mr Carlsson in his bed at Phuket International Hospital, where he was treated for a compound fracture to the right leg.

PHUKET: -- The owner of an elephant that recently went berserk and injured two Swedish tourists has defended the beast, blaming its mahout for the incident.

Trin Khanwilaikul, owner of ‘Camp Chang’ in Kalim, said the elephant named ‘Captain’ would not be punished for the rampage, which also damaged a car.

“He is a nice elephant, but he had the wrong mahout. It is like a car being driven by someone other than its owner,” she said.

Captain, a 20-year-old bull, is one of seven elephants owned by the camp. Only two are males.

On the afternoon of January 25, Swedish tourists Gustav Carlsson, 31, and John Haraldsson were riding Captain at the camp.

Mr Carlsson’s newly-wedded wife, 31-year-old Hanna Agnarsson-Carlsson, and the long-time couple’s 10-year-old son Oscar were on another elephant. Mr Haraldsson’s wife and four-year-old son were on a third.

All were part of a large party of Swedes who attended the Agnarsson-Carlsson wedding in Phuket the day before.

Mr Carlsson said Captain’s mahout had been poking the bull’s head and neck with a sharp stick for 20 minutes prior to the incident.

The elephant seemed to be getting angry, he said.

When Captain stopped moving, a mahout on the elephant behind fired a slingshot at his bottom.

With this, Captain went berserk.

The raging bull grabbed a tree, pulling it down onto a car. “We were shocked and very scared. We thought we would get killed.”

The mahout jumped off. “The elephant continued to smash more trees,” Mr Carlsson said.

The two tourists managed to get off Captain’s back by grabbing an overhead cable and jumping onto the car below.

“We jumped off the car. Suddenly the elephant rolled the car over before stepping through its window.

“Then he turned to us. While we were trying to run away I realized I had hurt my left foot. I’m not sure if the elephant stepped on it and broke the bone.”

With a bone protruding out of his right leg, Mr Carlsson managed to make it hopping on one leg into a nearby hut, where the rest of the party were already hiding.

Terrified, the group cowered in the hut while the elephant continued its rampage.

“The bad stuff lasted about 15 minutes,” Mr Carlsson said. “I heard the elephant was back to normal about 30 minutes later.”

“My son saw the whole thing. He was very scared and was crying a lot. Luckily my daughter wasn’t there,” he said.

Mr Haraldsson flew home to Sweden on January 27 for treatment on his bruised knee.

Mr Carlsson was treated at Phuket International Hospital for a broken right leg and bruised heel.

“SOS International Hospital from Denmark will pay for everything, including the treatment and my flight back to my home town,” Mr Carlsson said.

The family is scheduled to fly back to Sweden today.

“I think we’ll come back to Thailand, probably in the next three to four years. But we’ll never ride an elephant again for sure,” he said.

“We asked the camp for some compensation. They gave us the money for the trekking back. But it’s not so much compared to the cost of treatment, which is very expensive,” he said.

“I’m not sure if we’ll ask for more money from them,” he added.

On Tuesday two people from the camp visited Mr Carlsson, presenting him with a bouquet of flowers.

Camp owner Ms Trin was keen to defend animal welfare standards at the camp.

“We treat our elephants very well. You can see that our elephants are very healthy and big,” Ms Trin said.

She complained that the media had focused its attention on this particular incident.

“Other places have had much worse accidents than us,” she said.

“Why were they not published? One tourist even died while on an elephant trek, but I can’t say where.”

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-02-01

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[ThailandTommy]

"We asked the camp for some compensation. They gave us the money for the trekking back. But it's not so much compared to the cost of treatment, which is very expensive," he said.

Lucky the SOS International Danish Hospital is footing the bill hate to think what it would cost if he had no Insurance?

I guess the refund for the trekking will be sufficient compensation for pain and suffering?

Camp owner Ms Trin was keen to defend animal welfare standards at the camp.

"We treat our elephants very well. You can see that our elephants are very healthy and big," Ms Trin said.

She complained that the media had focused its attention on this particular incident.

"Other places have had much worse accidents than us," she said.

"Why were they not published? One tourist even died while on an elephant trek, but I can't say where."

So she highly recommends taking an elephant trek, safe fun for all the family, fully covered in the unlikely event of an accident!

Only one thing for sure in LoS 'Falang he pay'

[sharecropper]

Excellent - the mahout ,in time-honoured fashion, does a runner instead of staying and helping his guests:

“We were shocked and very scared. We thought we would get killed.”

The mahout jumped off.

[Garry9999]

“Other places have had much worse accidents than us,” is not really an excuse for bad practices.

[Tywais]

"Mr Carlsson in his bed at Phuket International Hospital, where he was treated for a compound fracture to the right leg."

Appears they managed to put the cast on the wrong leg, what were they thinking?

[khunbigjohn]

Judging from the photograph it looks like his left leg (not right leg) was fractured.

[moe666]

Rode one of these beast years ago in Chiang Mai do not recommend it. They are a wild animal and it doesn't take much to set one off. They are abused to keep in line.

[ferd54]

The title of the thread and the headline of the story do not match. The owner of the camp, not the foreigner, defended the elephant.

I'm glad she did, but it would go a lot further to make sure the poor animals are not abused in the first place.

Also, she says the wrong mahout was riding this giant bull elephant -- well, whose responsibility is that, Ms. manager?

In all a muddled event defended with muddled logic and reported in a muddled way. Yes, welcome to Thailand.

[Garry9999]

"Mr Carlsson in his bed at Phuket International Hospital, where he was treated for a compound fracture to the right leg."

Appears they managed to put the cast on the wrong leg, what were they thinking?

Maybe the photos not even Mr Carlsson, just the first guy the photographer found with a bandaged leg?

Edited February 1, 2010 by Garry9999

[DocHolliday]

The title of the thread and the headline of the story do not match. The owner of the camp, not the foreigner, defended the elephant.

I'm glad she did, but it would go a lot further to make sure the poor animals are not abused in the first place.

Also, she says the wrong mahout was riding this giant bull elephant -- well, whose responsibility is that, Ms. manager?

In all a muddled event defended with muddled logic and reported in a muddled way. Yes, welcome to Thailand.

Maybe that guy in the photo did in fact try to defend himself.

Nordic people are strong....

[Credo]

I've been on a trek up in Chaing Mai once. I found it very enjoyable, but in subsequent visits, I let others go and wait behind. They are beautiful animals, and I enjoy seeing them, but they are pretty big and relatively smart--a not so good combination in certain circumstances.

[RickBradford]

“He is a nice elephant, but he had the wrong mahout. It is like a car being driven by someone other than its owner,” she said.

Win, place and show for Idiotic Non-Sequitur Comment of the Week.

[bangkokrick]

Beyond belief.

Mr Carlsson said Captain’s mahout had been poking the bull’s head and neck with a sharp stick for 20 minutes prior to the incident.

The elephant seemed to be getting angry, he said.

When Captain stopped moving, a mahout on the elephant behind fired a slingshot at his bottom.

With this, Captain went berserk.

Then the owner says that they look after the elephants!

These guys torment the elephants just for the fun of it and don't seem to realise the mayhem that can be caused when the elephant loses it.

Cheers, Rick

[rkidlad]

Why does the headline read 'foreigner defends berserk elephant'?

What are we supposed to guage from this? 'Bloody foreigners. What do they know about elephants'?

[jonclark]

"Mr Carlsson in his bed at Phuket International Hospital, where he was treated for a compound fracture to the right leg."

Appears they managed to put the cast on the wrong leg, what were they thinking?

No wonder he looks so pi**ed off lmao

Wonder who gets to pay for the danage to the car?? Probably Mr. Carlsson

Edited February 1, 2010 by jonclark

[jackr]

The mahout jumped off.

How typical is that!

Went on a trek up around CM few years back and the elephant we were on got spooked by a 4wd and made a run for it. The saddle thing smashed against a tree and had to duck a couple times or be knocked off by branches! I also remember him smacking the mahout over the head with his tail. Good fun but definitely worthy of respect, although of course we all know it's a one-way street here...

[salty]

I trust the Swedish gentleman will make a full recovery.

Worrying to have a beserk elephant in Phuket. He might attack a few tuk tuk drivers.

[hkt83100]

Actually two cars were damaged. First the picup, and then the other one was pushed down the slope. I passed by shortly after the accident.

Edited February 1, 2010 by hkt83100

[Scully]

Actually two cars were damaged. First the picup, and then the other one was pushed down the slope. I passed by shortly after the accident.

Bloody hel_l, looking at this the tourists got away lightly and you can tell Captain is intelligent as he picked the two newest pick ups.

[eljeque]

You call that damaged?

I think destroyed might be a better term

I wonder if any company would insure an elephant

I am sure that the automobile owners will be fully compensated by the elephant camp, as the auto owner's insurance companies will go after it.

And, if the camp needs to pay for the cars, then the same should apply for the medical needs of the injured party

..or, the Swede may get a letter in the mail asking for him to pay for the vehicles.

[jonclark]

What I can't understand is why they bring the owners sexuality into it???

[griz47]

The way they train these elephants from babies is with pain. They use a sharp spike and dig these into the elephants hide. For this reason I will never give to the mahouts who bring the elephants to the towns in Thailand touting for money. At the shows I attended in the past they sell bananas or sugar cane to feed the elephants and i have seen the elephants disregard the mahout in persuit of the food. Male elephants are notorious for being uncontrolable when in musk and can be wild. You do not argue with something that weighs several tons and quite a few tourists are killed every year. My advice is to stay away from these elephant camps.

[ScubaBuddha]

The "baby" elephant opposite Safari on Patong-Karon road did a runner from his trainer, mahout I guess they are called, as I drove by in my car. It ran out onto the road and I nearly ran straight into it at full speed had I been a few seconds later. Luckily I was able to swerve just as it started to run into the road.

This story emphasizes why I always have and will continue to advise tourists to avoid patronizing any establishment which uses animals in Thailand, knowing how most animals are drugged, abused and neglected.

Edited February 1, 2010 by ScubaBuddha

[toasted]

'We treat our elephants very well. You can see that our elephants are very healthy and big,' Ms Trin said.

Impressive statement of the obvious.

[mca]

“He is a nice elephant, but he had the wrong mahout. It is like a car being driven by someone other than its owner,” she said.

I think this is more a comment on the driving skills of the local folks than a valid comparison.

[tonywebster]

have the red shirts come out and condemned this yet, obviously they are involved in some way with this as they seem to be responsible for EVERYTHING at the moment

[coconutmonkey]

Beyond belief.

Mr Carlsson said Captain's mahout had been poking the bull's head and neck with a sharp stick for 20 minutes prior to the incident.

When Captain stopped moving, a mahout on the elephant behind fired a slingshot at his bottom.

Then the owner says that they look after the elephants!

These guys torment the elephants just for the fun of it and don't seem to realise the mayhem that can be caused when the elephant loses it.

Cheers, Rick

The way they train these elephants from babies is with pain. They use a sharp spike and dig these into the elephants hide. For this reason I will never give to the mahouts who bring the elephants to the towns in Thailand touting for money. My advice is to stay away from these elephant camps.

Seems like these posters really get the crux of the issue.

They must be healthy; only sharp probes and slingshots.... wonder what I would do???!

If we all stay away from these camps, we bring no incentive to further cruelty towards these beautiful creatures.

People need to agree to boycott such businesses based on animal cruelty; and those based on scams likewise.

[Garry9999]

Beyond belief.

Mr Carlsson said Captain's mahout had been poking the bull's head and neck with a sharp stick for 20 minutes prior to the incident.

When Captain stopped moving, a mahout on the elephant behind fired a slingshot at his bottom.

Then the owner says that they look after the elephants!

These guys torment the elephants just for the fun of it and don't seem to realise the mayhem that can be caused when the elephant loses it.

Cheers, Rick

The way they train these elephants from babies is with pain. They use a sharp spike and dig these into the elephants hide. For this reason I will never give to the mahouts who bring the elephants to the towns in Thailand touting for money. My advice is to stay away from these elephant camps.

Seems like these posters really get the crux of the issue.

They must be healthy; only sharp probes and slingshots.... wonder what I would do???!

If we all stay away from these camps, we bring no incentive to further cruelty towards these beautiful creatures.

People need to agree to boycott such businesses based on animal cruelty; and those based on scams likewise.

The sad fact is, there is virtually no wild habitat left for wild Thai elephants, so their survival relies on these touts and camps.

Actually many of the owners treat the elephants quite well, the problem comes from the camp owners. An elephant owner gets paid around 7000B per month for himself and his elephant from the camp owners.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Garry9999

[Garry9999]

Domesticated Elephants in Thailand

Thailand has a long history of the domestication and use of elephants. It is said that one of the first ever depictions of the Thai people occurs on a frieze at Angkor Wat showing a Thai military unit complete with war elephants.

Historically elephants were used for transportation and war, reigning monarchs maintained a large elephant corps. In more recent history elephants were employed in the timber industry in the same way that they continue to be used in Burma. This employment allowed the maintenance of significant numbers of elephants. However that changed in 1989 when the Thai government banned the logging industry. Thousands of elephants were abruptly thrown out of work.

Some of these animals and their mahouts escaped over the border to continue plying hteir trade in Burma but many of the others were thrown into crisis. Often the elephants were only leased by the logging companies being owned by comparatively poor villages or mahout. Overnight the elephant went from being the main bread winner in the family to an unaffordable outgoing; the cost of food and care being beyond the owners' means.

Some of the elephants found gainful employment in the tourist industry but many others are forced to eke out whatever existence they can.

source http://www.eleaid.com/

[sharecropper]

This was taken in Khao Yai a couple of years ago. A deranged wild elephant which, after checking us out, backed off a bit then charged us, wth its trunk up, making a really blood-curdling sound.

I've never driven so fast in my life.