Tourists Warned Not To Feed Bangkok's Street Elephants

[webfact]

Tourists warned not to feed Bangkok's street elephants

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Tourists in Bangkok are being warned not to buy food for street elephants or risk a 10,000 baht (310 dollars) fine in the latest clampdown on begging by owners of the animals.

The Thai authorities have repeatedly attempted to stamp out the problem of elephant handlers, known as mahouts, walking the creatures in the capital and selling bananas and sugar cane for people to feed them.

If caught, the mahouts face a 10,000 baht fine and six months in jail.

Now a warning not to feed the creatures will be aired on local television and written on signs at various popular tourist spots in the capital, a spokesman for the City Law Enforcement Department said.

At times in recent years as many as 100 elephants and their handlers were estimated to be regularly vistiing Bangkok and were even seen begging in the city's red light districts.

"There is nothing for them to do in their impoverished home villages," the spokesman said.

Street begging cuts an elephant's life expectancy by at least half, according to the Elephant Nature Foundation, a non-profit organisation which campaigns for elephant rights.

Activists warn that car fumes and narrow streets often leave the elephants with eye calluses and tuberculosis and make them vulnerable to leg injuries.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-07-13

[BSJ]

People...and tourists...luv elephants. Now we can get a 10000baht fine for helping keep them alive. That sucks!

Edited July 13, 2010 by BSJ

[alex_aka_P]

Yeah... a very very VERY serious problem for the whole Thailand these days....Nothing better to do, BiBs???

Edited July 13, 2010 by alex_aka_P

[zappalot]

People...and tourists...luv elephants. Now we can get a 10000baht fine for helping keep them alive. That sucks!

if you really love elephants u should do your part to protect them and ensure that they can live where they belong to.

There are parks in Thailand where they can live in a naturally perfect environment and not on streets where they suffer from many diseases, often treated badly.

Information is all: elephants back to nature

[alex_aka_P]

There are parks in Thailand where they can live in a naturally perfect environment and not on streets where they suffer from many diseases, often treated badly.

May I say that about ANY and EVERY single animal - from goldfish to elephant, from parrots to cats etc? All'of em will happy to be free, but is there a no-man's place on the world? Even antarctic penguins are in zoos.

Please, be real.

[zappalot]

There are parks in Thailand where they can live in a naturally perfect environment and not on streets where they suffer from many diseases, often treated badly.

May I say that about ANY and EVERY single animal - from goldfish to elephant, from parrots to cats etc? All'of em will happy to be free, but is there a no-man's place on the world? Even antarctic penguins are in zoos.

Please, be real.

if they suffer its up to you to take action or to let it be as it is.

for me it was always no option to accept a situation as naturally given and unchangeable.

and if somethings wrong about the parrots under human being control, which often is, then u should do something.

in the civilized world many things changed in the last 200 years because people didnt accept the way it was and changed.

and in this case everyone can do his/her part to a change.

and btw: thats the thread about elephants, not about goldfish, parrots or cats. one crime/bad situation is not an excuse for another one.

[TheWalkingMan]

10k baht penalty for the tourist? Are elephants banned from the city? I can already hear the upcoming howls of protest from tourists getting clipped.

TheWalkingMan

[bkkjames]

10k baht penalty for the tourist?  Are elephants banned from the city?  I can already hear the upcoming howls of protest from tourists getting clipped.

TheWalkingMan

The conspirator in me says watch out for Elephants near ashtrays on sukhumvit road = double fine.

[TAWP]

Tourists in Bangkok are being warned not to buy food for street elephants or risk a 10,000 baht (310 dollars) fine in the latest clampdown on begging by owners of the animals.

So the authorities are trying to once again prove that they are morons. Good one.

Ps. How about they get the police to grab the elephants and the handlers that are trying to get the tourist to get a 10k fine feed the elephant?

[bangkokrick]

10k baht penalty for the tourist? Are elephants banned from the city? I can already hear the upcoming howls of protest from tourists getting clipped.

TheWalkingMan

The conspirator in me says watch out for Elephants near ashtrays on sukhumvit road = double fine.

Smoking elephants!, what next? Sure it will be a 'trumped up' fine

Cheers, Rick

[zappalot]

Tourists in Bangkok are being warned not to buy food for street elephants or risk a 10,000 baht (310 dollars) fine in the latest clampdown on begging by owners of the animals.

So the authorities are trying to once again prove that they are morons. Good one.

Ps. How about they get the police to grab the elephants and the handlers that are trying to get the tourist to get a 10k fine feed the elephant?

Call BMA hotline 1555 and let them know where u have seen the elephant, also call the police, inform them that u have seen an elephant AND that u already informed the authorities who provided that servicenumber 1555 to take steps against the one who take the elephant to the city. Take photo of the stupid tourist who feed the elephant. Everyone who get some information should be aware of that problem. So there are no excuses if someone get caught.

[TAWP]

Call BMA hotline 1555 and let them know where u have seen the elephant, also call the police, inform them that u have seen an elephant AND that u already informed the authorities who provided that servicenumber 1555 to take steps against the one who take the elephant to the city. Take photo of the stupid tourist who feed the elephant. Everyone who get some information should be aware of that problem. So there are no excuses if someone get caught.

I hope you are saying this in jest...

1) Tourists cannot be held responsible for the Police not doing their job and cannot be required to check animal handlers license before they pay for the pleasure of having an elephant snatch a corn bar from their hand.

2) If an elephant and its handler walks by several police officers without action, why would calling the police help?

I have even seen an elephant and its handler on Silom several times and there is always police officers around plus a police car check station there every night...

[alex_aka_P]

Call BMA hotline 1555 and let them know where u have seen the elephant, also call the police, inform them that u have seen an elephant AND that u already informed the authorities who provided that servicenumber 1555 to take steps against the one who take the elephant to the city. Take photo of the stupid tourist who feed the elephant. Everyone who get some information should be aware of that problem. So there are no excuses if someone get caught.

All of that instead of moving the elefant out from the city to the (mentioned above) park or wild-life reserve using the authorities.

Or are those elephants so hard to be seen/get catched? Surely, elephants are hiding themselves in the deepness of the Soi's and jumping out in front of every tourists, for a banana...55555

PS: I'll double that "Be real". Please.

[zappalot]

I hope you are saying this in jest...

1) Tourists cannot be held responsible for the Police not doing their job and cannot be required to check animal handlers license before they pay for the pleasure of having an elephant snatch a corn bar from their hand.

tourists who inform themselves know that it is not allowed to feed elephants in bangkok. this has nothing to do with a license or check of any license.

2) If an elephant and its handler walks by several police officers without action, why would calling the police help?

I have even seen an elephant and its handler on Silom several times and there is always police officers around plus a police car check station there every night...

if i c that i will take action and not let it simply be as it is. even in thailand u can take action. ok, if i step in this situation and the one answering my call @ 1555 explain to me he cant do anything i cant do more. but if i have 1555 on the line i will hand out the phone to the policemen around and let them discus. if i take photos at the same time from this situation i am sure that action will be taken.

official in southeast asia fear the power of internet and photo, thats a fact. it would not be the first time that officers do what i want if i do some photos of what is happening and announcing to put them on several intenet platforms.

[TAWP]

tourists who inform themselves know that it is not allowed to feed elephants in bangkok. this has nothing to do with a license or check of any license.

How about we fine any cop that doesn't check the elephant and tutor 10k per time instead of fining the tourist 10k for paying for feeding it?

[FarangCravings]

Bout time they clamped down on these Mahouts its cruelty to the elephant to be treated that way and I never feed them and encourage others not to do so so its good to see finally they are trying to put a stop to it.

i think targeting tourists is wrong though as they will and do find it exciting to see an elephant on the streets and dont realize just how cruel this practice is.

[zappalot]

Yes, i agree 100%. The cop who dont take action is to be fined as well. at least in serious cases.

in may area they never do what they should do. i go by motorbike and wear the helmet rarely. i never got stopped. once or twice in a year they have the helmet control day, there u have to be careful, but after that: business as usual, none cares.

but when it comes to suffering animals and when the proplem can be solved i will take action! and everybody should.

just c the cases when destroying of the last remaining trees of the former rain forest along some roads in thailand (just recently) came to a hold because of some encouraged, committed people took action.

everybody can start something, or just talk around, try to find excuses for (his own?) failing...

[Soutpeel]

My My, the BIB must be getting desperate for cash....getting really creactive in ways to increase their coffers...

But could someone please explain HTF an elephant gets TB from car fumes and narrow streets ??......superb butchery of the English language once again....

[lensta]

People...and tourists...luv elephants. Now we can get a 10000baht fine for helping keep them alive. That sucks!

if you really love elephants u should do your part to protect them and ensure that they can live where they belong to.

There are parks in Thailand where they can live in a naturally perfect environment and not on streets where they suffer from many diseases, often treated badly.

Information is all: elephants back to nature

I 100% agree with you, the elephants belong in their natural habitat. Keeping them in the city is helping to kill them, not helping to keep them alive.

[Thai at Heart]

People...and tourists...luv elephants. Now we can get a 10000baht fine for helping keep them alive. That sucks!

if you really love elephants u should do your part to protect them and ensure that they can live where they belong to.

There are parks in Thailand where they can live in a naturally perfect environment and not on streets where they suffer from many diseases, often treated badly.

Information is all: elephants back to nature

I 100% agree with you, the elephants belong in their natural habitat. Keeping them in the city is helping to kill them, not helping to keep them alive.

Unless there is a plan to immediately expropriate the elephant there and then, put it on a truck and move it to one of these parks, how does fining a tourist 10k solve anything?

The offence is from the mahout, not the tourist, and I can't wait for someone to challenge this stupid law on the basis of entrapment.

[invex]

It was, and is still forbidden, years ago as many bad articles appeared in the foreign press. There were pictures, taken in the city of Chiang Mai, of elephants with nails in their necks etc....

It was really sad as those people treat the animals very bad. For years, we did not see elephants in Chiang Mai city however, since about a year they are back.

Only yesterday I saw 2 policemen on a motorbike passing an elephant at Loy Kroch near the Le Meridien hotel. They did nothing because the mahouts have to pay the police to enter the city. With the new law, the police can even extort money for the farang aswell. They earn twice now on the back of the poor animal.

Hey police, why not just apply the law; those animals cannot enter the city!

More and more I think the law is made by or at least in favor of the police with just one goal…

This must be Thailand I guess.

[astral]

So can I bring food from home and feed to the elephants?

[kuffki]

Why not run an overseas campaign that will read

Come to Thailand, Amazing Thailand, but do not feed the elephants or we will fine you"

Now that would make a great slogan and definitely bring back the tourists

PS. Tourists do not watch LOCAL TV stations

PPS. Tourists do not walk around looking at the signs

PPPS. If anything they should concentrate on the owner of the elephants not the tourists.

[djayz]

People...and tourists...luv elephants. Now we can get a 10000baht fine for helping keep them alive. That sucks!

Love elephants or not, anybody with half a brain knows that elephants don't belong in cities...and feeding them bananas and sugar cane doesn't really help to keep these mammals alive. Anybody who really wants to help should donate money to one of the various funds for elephants or directly to the elephant farms/villages (or whatever they're called).

There's one youngish elephant that is paraded around Hua Hin every evening. It disgusts me to see these idiots (tourists and locals alike) feeding them.

[TheBarbarian]

Nation breaking news. this AP article was already in the foreign press two days ago.

[TheBarbarian]

It shows however the incompetence of Thai lawmakers. A change of government might do the trick. maybe a new demonstration or the courts can help. A tourist who enters Thailand does not know local laws. It is another great tool to extort money. And Thailand will move a step closer to the top of the "failed" states list.

[maydagirl]

WHAT? its like saying u cant vote for obama but hel_l get elected.

I think this is ridiculous. Not only does this move proves corruption, its pointless.

Why cant they just arrest the people that are bringing out the BIG FAT HUGE ELEPHANT, which cant be missed, instead of targeting uninformed tourists. Just cause im visiting one country doesn't mean id be prepared to know all the rules that they have imposed.

OH wait, answer to my question? its corruption. sad. imposing this rule only shows the powerless government, imo.

[MyphuketLife]

heres a wild idea, how about go after the elephant handler. not the TOURIST... but I guess going after the elephant handler would not allow pockets to lined, and of course as with every thing in thailand

[sarcasm]

it's not the elephant handlers fault, it can't be as he is a Thai, it's the tourists fault as he has lots of money

[/sarcasm]

[GeorgeO]

<BR>

<BR>Call BMA hotline 1555 and let them know where u have seen the elephant, also call the police, inform them that u have seen an elephant AND that u already informed the authorities who provided that servicenumber 1555 to take steps against the one who take the elephant to the city. Take photo of the stupid tourist who feed the elephant. Everyone who get some information should be aware of that problem. So there are no excuses if someone get caught.<BR>

<BR><BR>I hope you are saying this in jest...<BR><BR>1) Tourists cannot be held responsible for the Police not doing their job and cannot be required to check animal handlers license before they pay for the pleasure of having an elephant snatch a corn bar from their hand.<BR>2) If an elephant and its handler walks by several police officers without action, why would calling the police help?<BR><BR>I have even seen an elephant and its handler on Silom several times and there is always police officers around plus a police car check station there every night...<BR>

<BR><BR>This is a very sad indictment on Thailand. As opposed to dealing with the problem at the source, that is, fining the guys who take these animals on to the streets, they decide instead to fine tourists a considerable sum of money, as much as two and a half times the monthly wage of certain workers!<BR><BR>It's not as if they cannot find out where these guys are keeping the animals before parading them on the streets. An elephant, I would suggest, is quite difficult to hide.<BR><BR>I would strongly suggest that any tourist who sees any of these animals at a distance should take a detour so as to avoid them, otherwise there may be some 'proof' suddenly emerging amongst the BIB that you just fed one of them! Kinda smacks of a shopping trip to King Power at the airport!<BR>

[tlongdon]

It won't be a 10,000 baht fine. It'll be the same as when a white man gets caught driving (correctly). Whatever the policeman thinks he can get away with being bribed.<BR>500 baht tops.