Tourists Warned Not To Feed Bangkok's Street Elephants

[barky]

As usual, blame the western tourist. Use every means possible to extort money. God forbid the useless cops actually do their job and solve the problem.

I'm glad I don't need the tourist industry to get my income.

Keep going Thai autorities, and you'll end up with so few whities coming here that you lose all your scam and extortion monies provided by westeners...what then?

Thai autorities...grow a brain !

[Soutpeel]

Perhaps it's time for a cull of the elephants. They were culling badgers in the UK yesterday, I think they got a few hundred of the infected diseased stripey ones before some 'hippy' demonstration forced them to finish for the day.

A new high class TAT tourist initative for Thailand......Suburban elephant culling....... , Why go to the Kruger park to shoot elephant ?.....come to Bangkok...

just picture it, dawn breaks over Sukhumvit, Hueys coming out the sun and after a hard day shooting elephant, complementary entertainment at Nana plaza

[chelsea]

'Elephants' Does this apply only to the four legged species or does the fine apply to the two legged species working in the bangkok bar's as well

How is it possible that the tea money boys do not spot over 100 elephants walking in the streets of bangkok but can spot a farang dropping a discarded cigarette in the street in darkness to collect there tea money !!!

[Roachiebkk]

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

And if it's wearing a skimpy lycra skirt and gambling on the world cup it could just be a sting operation to relieve tourists of their cash.

[Roachiebkk]

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

The only way to keep them alive is to get them out of the city before they get killed by car accidents, bad food or bad treatment from the owners. I always shiver when I see an elephant walking on the scorching asphalt burning it's sensitive soles of it's feet. These gentle giants should be where they thrive best: the jungle. The reason why they are in the city is because their owners do not have another way of making money so they use the elephants. I wonder if you ever watched how people tame elephants and take away their children way before it is their natural time for it. I have watched an elephant die on Rama 9 after being hit by a pick up, broken bones the whole shebang and never ever give food to them to thinking you will do good. Please remember when the feeding stops, there is no reason for bringing them into the city. The story of King Kong applies here too .....pity this is reality.

A huge elephant stopped outside the Baghdad Cafe in Samsen Road one night, lifted it's tail and let loose gallons of urine. The manager and Thai patrons loved it and came out to proclaim how lucky it was for them. I could imagine the lottery sales going up that week

[Roachiebkk]

To whom and it may concern( All the negative farang who lives in Thailand)

I´m a thais woman, I´m living aboard for many years now. I just want to share some of my opinion, even though I know I will be hated by some of the Farang from this web! How ever! This is about any laws in Thailand, about this elephant, driving...etc. And I do realize that some one will try to brake it, but isn´t that just in thailand that all the thing is not that perfect? And we are all talking about corruption in Thailand and Asia but how could is help if no one can see that they will have to reach out their hand and do something or try to stop it! I have read this forum for many days now and can not reply to any topic, but now I can! I am a guest of another country and I feel and do know that I have to obey the law, I have to listen to the owner of the house, even I like it or not! Or else what? They will tell me if I don´t like to stay here because thailand is better than here than feel free to leave"No one force you to stay, there is no law for that"

I have to pay tax as much as the citizen here did but they all treat me like a second class citizen! What shall I do then try to change it? Try to tell them since I am your guest you should treat me the way I want to be treated! I will not tell you all if you don´t like many thing in Thailand"Why are you all still in Thailand and complain about it?" If there is any law that force foreigner to stay in Thailand if they don´t want too or do not want to stay? If there is any fine for that, if you just want to leave Thailand?

I just stupid thais who just want to know why thailand is so full of Farang that hate thais way, thais rule but still in thailand! Don´t worry I already call my self stupid thais so I save you guys a lot of time! Because as far as I can see if some thais try to come with some comment so those farang will take that thais person down. In the another hand I might say when we are thais we should just act stupid and just smile and say yes, no opinion can be accepted! That is much of respect we get from our guest! Of course, I´m not so satisfy with my life here either but it is help me to just complain and be negative about this, hel_l no! I have kinds to support on my own too!

What I can do is learn the language, adapt my self to their way of leaving, pick up the positive side from them and teach them some positive thing about thailand! That is what I can do to make my day, to get to go to bed at night! And try to tell my self everyday that If I don´t like it here I just has to leave" And it makes my day, I still alive, I´ve got many friend that do understand me, I go to work everyday, I get all the support I need from them! And you know what? This will ever never happened if I just sit and complain about how bad my life has gone since I move here! I could not ask for any form, any sigh and paper in Thais some of it I could not get it in English! What can I do about that, It is not thailand here and they are not english speaking here, shall I change it to suit me? Do any one here think I should do that? I move in some where that´s not my home, how could I ask them to change their way of living, because it does not suit me!

My point is if some of you still want to stay in thailand, you will have to learn how to deal with it in a good way for both part! I even need a visa to stay in thailand for a year! Do you think I like to sit there with a pine of paper works and keep smiling when I´m so mad of all the administration nonsense in thailand!(It actually takes me 4-5 days every time) But it´s TIT like you guy always say what can I do about it

And please do feel free to correct my English It will not hurt my feeling at all since I was born and raise in thailand, so english is never my strongest side and I have no degree, just normally 14 years in Thais government school and my own experience with foreigner at work and aboard! So my English is just to survive well here in another country I will not get mad or answer any comment so just read it and erase it out of your head, thank you

Well said..........................Don't worry 'stupidity' isn't confined to one race or one country. There are loads of stupid people in the world and Thailand has it's fair share of foreign and local alike. Stupidity is not a Thai phenomenon. Good for you sticking up for your country and good luck whatever country you've chosen as your home.

[CrossBones]

Im lost for words here.

Firstly who has the right to impose fines like this? Doesnt a law have to be drawn up? Is there going to be a law specifically aimed at tourists that states if they feed elephants in Bangkok they have to pay a fine? Can they contest the police demanding money? Under what law can they be prosecuted under?

Secondly... why is it hard to find the elephant owners themselves and prosecute them? Elephants are of course rather large and you just have to go to the bars around sukhumvit o khasoan to find the elephant.. and attached to the elephant is the elephants owner.

Seriously though how can you blame tourists and fine them that is absoulutely ridiculous. How an tourists know and be expected to see the warning signs... where will the signs be? This "beggars" belief.

[Roachiebkk]

We all should support the Thai elephants. There are better and more transparent places to see the Thai elephant than Elephant nature park. Several elephant parks provide the same if not better care and employment for the mahouts with out all the stardom. Check out the other parks before dumping your money at Elephant nature park.

Hmmm, I suspect sour grapes here.

[Roachiebkk]

ThaiVisa Editor, When will you get off your backside and cut out this continual use of the word 'CRACKDOWN'

Thaivisa is determined to put off visitors to Thailand

What is your agenda???

Yes there should indeed be a crackdown on the use of the word crackdown. I think the crackdown should begin today, so lets all say, LETS CRACKDOWN on CRACKDOWNS

[pattayabuggy]

Perhaps it's time for a cull of the elephants. They were culling badgers in the UK yesterday, I think they got a few hundred of the infected diseased stripey ones before some 'hippy' demonstration forced them to finish for the day.

Good idea, there is already an annual cull of Thai people in place, it's called Songkran! We could call it jumbokran.

[astral]

First the poor buffalo was replaced by the iron buffalo

common in all Thai villages.

However this trend is reversing as oil prices rise. Grass is free.

The animals can be borrowed from the Royal Water Buffalo Bank

The poor elephant has also been displaced by the iron elephant.

Let us hope that this trend can also be reversed.

[zappalot]

We all should support the Thai elephants. There are better and more transparent places to see the Thai elephant than Elephant nature park.

haha

As far as i know there arent so many parks for elephants where u can stay overnight, monitoring whats going on 24/7. Everyone can stay there for weeks, getting involved almost 100%. So far there are no reports confirm any bad rumors.

To many morons, one accuse them to send the elephants to bars in the night (even if the place is 100 km away from chiang mai, far away from every bar, how should they do it?)

Another say the parks cant provide enough money and so on to feed these elephants.

Have they ever been to the ENP? They havent, for sure. They just guessing around wildly, full with prejudices.

The ENP started very small, with just the idea to give shelter to old, injured, abused elephants. Not to make money. The place the founder has chosen for the park is to far away from everything to accuse them to operate it just for money. It would be more easy to operate it closer to the touristic hot spots. Now its home to almost 40 elephants. If they really only want to make money, they dont need almost 40 elephants.

Just speak with former employees of this ENP as i did. You will rarely find some, if any, who speak in the bad way about the ENP.

And if there is bad stuff about an employer - would there be a better source then old employees to bring bad story's up?

Edited July 14, 2010 by zappalot

[HerbalEd]

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

Did you actually read the article?? According to the article, working in BKK shortens the elephants' lives .... therefore tourists supporting elephants being in BKK are doing the opposite of saving them.

[newtronbom]

To whom and it may concern( All the negative farang who lives in Thailand)

I´m a thais woman, I´m living aboard for many years now. I just want to share some of my opinion, even though I know I will be hated by some of the Farang from this web! How ever! This is about any laws in Thailand, about this elephant, driving...etc. And I do realize that some one will try to brake it, but isn´t that just in thailand that all the thing is not that perfect? And we are all talking about corruption in Thailand and Asia but how could is help if no one can see that they will have to reach out their hand and do something or try to stop it! I have read this forum for many days now and can not reply to any topic, but now I can! I am a guest of another country and I feel and do know that I have to obey the law, I have to listen to the owner of the house, even I like it or not! Or else what? They will tell me if I don´t like to stay here because thailand is better than here than feel free to leave"No one force you to stay, there is no law for that"

I have to pay tax as much as the citizen here did but they all treat me like a second class citizen! What shall I do then try to change it? Try to tell them since I am your guest you should treat me the way I want to be treated! I will not tell you all if you don´t like many thing in Thailand"Why are you all still in Thailand and complain about it?" If there is any law that force foreigner to stay in Thailand if they don´t want too or do not want to stay? If there is any fine for that, if you just want to leave Thailand?

I just stupid thais who just want to know why thailand is so full of Farang that hate thais way, thais rule but still in thailand! Don´t worry I already call my self stupid thais so I save you guys a lot of time! Because as far as I can see if some thais try to come with some comment so those farang will take that thais person down. In the another hand I might say when we are thais we should just act stupid and just smile and say yes, no opinion can be accepted! That is much of respect we get from our guest! Of course, I´m not so satisfy with my life here either but it is help me to just complain and be negative about this, hel_l no! I have kinds to support on my own too!

What I can do is learn the language, adapt my self to their way of leaving, pick up the positive side from them and teach them some positive thing about thailand! That is what I can do to make my day, to get to go to bed at night! And try to tell my self everyday that If I don´t like it here I just has to leave" And it makes my day, I still alive, I´ve got many friend that do understand me, I go to work everyday, I get all the support I need from them! And you know what? This will ever never happened if I just sit and complain about how bad my life has gone since I move here! I could not ask for any form, any sigh and paper in Thais some of it I could not get it in English! What can I do about that, It is not thailand here and they are not english speaking here, shall I change it to suit me? Do any one here think I should do that? I move in some where that´s not my home, how could I ask them to change their way of living, because it does not suit me!

My point is if some of you still want to stay in thailand, you will have to learn how to deal with it in a good way for both part! I even need a visa to stay in thailand for a year! Do you think I like to sit there with a pine of paper works and keep smiling when I´m so mad of all the administration nonsense in thailand!(It actually takes me 4-5 days every time) But it´s TIT like you guy always say what can I do about it

And please do feel free to correct my English It will not hurt my feeling at all since I was born and raise in thailand, so english is never my strongest side and I have no degree, just normally 14 years in Thais government school and my own experience with foreigner at work and aboard! So my English is just to survive well here in another country I will not get mad or answer any comment so just read it and erase it out of your head, thank you

Well said..........................Don't worry 'stupidity' isn't confined to one race or one country. There are loads of stupid people in the world and Thailand has it's fair share of foreign and local alike. Stupidity is not a Thai phenomenon. Good for you sticking up for your country and good luck whatever country you've chosen as your home.

I agree with you on the post above. The Thai Lady who made this post is quite accurate and despite her English, was easily understood. If you look at the post I made a bit further back on this page, I wasn't bashing Thais and I fully agree that stupidity is certainly not confined to TL. The poster Who I commented on did make a ridiculous post though. I have lived here for many years, love the country, speak the language very well and I'm not about to go home either. I just fail to see how the bangkok elephant problem, is caused by foreigners, or why we should be fined for a police/legislation issue, that should be not too much of a problem to solve. The lady above is also quite correct in that we come to TL so we should learn the speech and try to understand the culture. Also as she said, look for the good points and try to teach some of our better points. I do believe if people hate the Thais, don't like the customs and can't stand the country, they should go back to wherever they came from and not spread negative criticism on this forum, or any where else. Thailand is a great place, but any place is only what you make it or try to make of it. Every one is entitled to their opinion, but where it is negative and possibly damaging, it should be kept to your self. Some people just seem to forget to put their brain in gear, before they loose their tongue.

[j_mack]

How about at the end of the month,just like your riding you bike with no Helmet,the Bib fine the Chang for crapping on the Road? works for not wearing a Helmet.......................

[BangnaBound]

This AFP article is poorly written and is biased to provoke this reaction. The Bangkok Post has a much clearer article that lays out the facts (not that I’m promote the Bkk Post as a reliable new source, but it looks more accurate than the AFP ). Search for “Residents face B10,000 fine for feeding elephants”.

Nowhere in this article are tourists even mentioned. It does state that land owners providing shelter to elephants, and people buying food from elephant handler to feed the elephants will face a fine of up to 10,000 baht. This city ordinance is clearly targeting local, as it should, and not tourists. Anyone who has lived in Bangkok long enough knows it’s mainly that local Thai residence who feed the elephants. From the reactions I’ve witnessed, tourists just as likely to look on with disgust as locals buy the bananas as to partake themselves. I have yet to meet a Thai that understands the contradiction between feeling sorry for these elephants and encouraging the touts by giving them money to feed the elephants.

It also goes and explains that the origin of the law, as is often the case in Thailand, stems from the emotional reaction of a politician to a random event. It also mentions there appears to have been a decrease in the reports of elephants in the city limits of Bangkok. While no doubt that there will be some BiB’s out there attempting to try one on, it doesn’t appear this law was intentionally crafted to extort tourists.

As with much of the silliness that goes on in this country, it’s not really about us.

[chmike]

This cruel,obscene,exploitation of South East Asia's finest animal,has been going on far too long.

Sad for the animals and the very wrongest education for the Thai populace.

Not remotely cute.

Just plain CRUEL.

Are you referring to the exploitation of the elephants or the tourists who come to Thailand?

[MB1]

They should fine the Police for not enforcing the LAW. Why should an unknowing tourist public be fined for the internal inability of a country to enforce their own laws.

Since the Tourist Industry was crying so loud and hard about the lack tourist dollars before, perhaps they are going to be splitting the fines with the police.

Perhaps they should give massive eye exams to all of the police in this city since they are unable to spot such a LARGE animal being lead thru the streets here.

Perhaps the Police and the Tourist Ministry are going to be spliting the 10,000 BAHT fine to try and make up for the Short Fall over the last 4 months.

And that post sums up some of the amazing things about Thailand,an adult Elephant weighing up to 8 ton and standing at over ten foot and the police can't see em until a tourist feeds em, ok I know younger elephants weigh less and are not as tall but the police must know where the elephants are in in a concrete jungle like Bangkok...TIT.

[Deeral]

"Farangs are rich enough to pay 10K.

That's just small change to them."

This thread is a magnet for some of the most stupid comments ever.

Logging is very restricted in Thailand and it is almost 100% mechanised - so elephants are no longer needed there

elephants live for a long time so they have to be reired - looking after them in parks etc COULD solve the problem - but the Thai govt has come up with no money for this so it isn't happening.

Organisations that rely on public donations can't suddenly take on more animals - they can't afford to

Many "parks" or whatever they call themseves are simply a way of exploiting these animals further - they are mistreated on a huge scale in order for the owners to make money.

In fact making money from elephants has become so lucrative that there is now a demand for MORE ELEPHANTS - babies etc get good money and so breeding is carried out evn though there is NOWHERE for these animals to go.

THe market for these elephants??

well primarily it is international tourists 0 but they are not alone - almost every town has a couple of elephants wandering around.

quite frankly anyone who thinks they are helping by "FEEDING" the elephants is a twerp - of course they are not.

anyone who rides on an elephant is merely extending the exploitation

anyone who pays to go into most of the elephant parks is contributing to their misery.

fining people in the street is a WATE OF TIME and money - the govt should put in place a long-term process of providing retirement parks for elephants until the population reduces itself due to natural ways

Is there enough space in Thailand to release that many elephants? - I know that there is room for more Tigers but I don't know what the situation is regarding elephants. Releasing large "tame" animals into the wild is usually not a practical thing to do anyway.

Yes dragging elephants around towns and cities is appalling - but this is NOT the solution - THEY HAVE NOWHERE TO GO!!!!!!!

Edited July 14, 2010 by Deeral

[JetsetBkk]

<snip>

This thread is a magnet for some of the most stupid comments ever.

Logging is very restricted in Thailand and it is almost 100% mechanised - so elephants are no longer needed there.

<snip>

I agree with your first sentence completely, and your second sentence is a good example why.

I came back from the north of Thailand (Lampang) a few weeks ago where they were using a lot of elephants in the logging business because the places where the trees were being felled were not accessible by vehicles other than moto-cys.

[dumball]

just tell me one thing , are the powers that be going to put up HUGE signs in prominent places at the airports and ALL border crossings ? Should they not do this , it is reprehensible that they would fine tourists even ONE SATTANG for feeding an elephant in BKK .

Tourists come to the country on holiday , take photos of things like FEEDING ELEPHANTS , taking them home to show family and friends , this is FREE advertising for Thai tourism , fining them will not only help deter them from coming again , it will be splattered all across the internet , the height of stupidity , now some one please tell me that Thai have the ability to THINK .

For the elephant preservasion folk , why did you wait until this article was presented before coming up with your rhetoric , you could have been trucking them out of the city for years , then setting up collections to feed them , and how else will they get fed at this time if people in the city does not feed them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Deeral]

<snip>

This thread is a magnet for some of the most stupid comments ever.

Logging is very restricted in Thailand and it is almost 100% mechanised - so elephants are no longer needed there.

<snip>

I agree with your first sentence completely, and your second sentence is a good example why.

I came back from the north of Thailand (Lampang) a few weeks ago where they were using a lot of elephants in the logging business because the places where the trees were being felled were not accessible by vehicles other than moto-cys.

I'm and everybody else I think is well aware they are still used in limited areas where accessibility is restricted - you might also be aware that a lot of that logging is illegal and as a percentage of the logging undertaken in Thailand it is minute.

I'm so glad you visited Lampang- and I hope next time you go you;ll take the time to look more closely at what is going on there and put it into perspective with the rest of the country.

Where do you think all the elephants came from????

I think that splitting hairs is a particularly unattractive trait it really shows how little you have to contribute.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Deeral

[bangkokbruce]

Another new scam in the works for the BIB.....allow the mahout to bring his elephant after paying the bribe and then extract fine's from unsuspecting tourists in fear....works everytime...what next?

[chickenslegs]

If this law is enforced, and the mahouts have to pay fines of 10,000 Baht, I predict that the price of bananas will go through the roof.

[petedk]

Just how many elephants are there in Bangkok?

I must admit I haven't seen one myself for a few weeks now. Maybe I don't go to the right places.

[techboy]

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.

I am not a nutritionist but do hold a BA in Biology. Have never heard of bananas being detrimental to a mammal's diet. Also would place a healthy wager that the activists that are spouting about cataracts and lung disease have never read any valid research on the subject if any even exists. If you were actually well informed your post would have not been so vague when you mentioned "various funds for elephants." You would have been able to kick a few names out.

[mauGR1]

The Elephant is the symbol of Thailand, nonetheless one of the 12 animals sacred in Buddhism.

it has been useful for centuries in the past for the really heavy jobs, and is undoubtedly a very intelligent mammal.

IMO the Thais should be respectful and grateful to the elephants, and the Govt. should support and fund alternative solutions for their preservation.

The Humans in general should have more respect for the animals, it's ugly what we do to them.

Obviously Bangkok is not elephant's habitat, but would you like to let them starve out of sight?Like Dumball said, they are a peculiar tourist attraction.

Of course there is the traffic issue, but can be dealt with some common sense..well..where is it ?

An elephant eats a lot,a hungry elephant is a angry one.

Fine the tourists for feeding the elephants? What's next, rob them blind soon as they land in BKK ?

[sirir]

Dear Roachiebkk and Newtronbom,

I did read your post by using my brain So I do appreciate all of your both comments and know that not one of you are negative about any thing! I joy this post because some thing is bother me some thing like"Thailand is a laughing stock, Look what thailand is doing, of course is always farang fault" If this web. could band or this thailand this and that! Because it is not thais who act like that! They are all wrong, or the problem is coming from the government or who ever that think they have all the power over thailand! So that person is a laughing stock and I can guarantee to you this is not thais by nature What happened in May is about 2 powerful people who want to win and have the power all alone! It none of them who do it because of they belief in something good! I will not call that the civil war, just a stupid fight between immature people! And I just feel like it is happening now on this web too! They are all fighting for nothing! Just let the people do their own thing

For me, everyone that breath have their right, human, animal, farang who lives in thailand, and even the tree! We should have some respect for all those lives, should see the value in all and should helping each other to stay heathy and happy!

Stop being sarcastic about thai smile and thais do this and that, unless you are so sure that is a 80% of thais are doing it! The government is a laughing stock, a rich and greedy and want or the power for them selves but not the real thais that work hard every day, they sell food from 4am to midnight, they do cleaning job, labor job for 200 baht a day all those hocker, all of those thais who sacrifice for their kids and their family! they don´t have time to concern about thai politic, they have no time to care what government is doing! I know many farang here are much much more cleaver than the thais so use your brain and your heart and calculate how many % of thais are doing something to you before you underline it with Thailand do this and that! Please do not bring the whole nation down because of some stupid thai did something wrong or some thing you don´t like it! Or else you will create a lot of thais like Khun Rucharee, I don´t know her and I don´t think she is a bad thais! But her comment sound negative about Farang because of she can read English and understand it! That makes her feel bad! Just thinking about another 40 mill. thais could understand this web. and have time to read this! Then it will be a real war between The thais and The farangs! Do anyone here want that to happen? I do not want it! Because my kids are not thais, my friends are f rom the US, Canada, Germany, Scotland, England, Sweden, Norway, Irland, Spain, Netherland, really anywhere just name it

I do not agree with what the government is doing since the age of 12, I did write some comment that take with me the whole school against the government! So I´m so dam_n lucky I moved away from thailand or I might get kill before I am turn 15 I don´t like it when thais call it Farang´s price and foreigner have to pay more than thais, because my kids are not thais and I don´t want to pay more for them either! But I just pay and find the way to get my money back, you know TIT and anything is allowed! But you know when I was in South Caroline, I have to pay more that the local, for every thing too, the movie ticket, the zoo absolutely everything! You might say I´m the farang there then, but I did not say a word, because it is absolutely nothing I can do about it

So all I ask is just before you all want to criticize or just anyone, please make sure that you do know that person back ground, how they grow up and what are they believe in?Because that make them who they are, and that make you understand another human race better!

I would write more about why the thai smile happened and why the thais always say Mai pen rai But if some of you what to know more so pls post to me or meet me in Bkk in October. I´m going there for a month

Then I just want to say that I do feel for the thais that suffer of what happened and the thais that have to sacrifice for their family, I´m admiring them!

And thankful for all The Farang with their open mind, heart and helping hands that reach out for those thais who need it! And thumb up for Roachie Bkk and Newtronborn

[Deeral]

Thailand's shame - when you consider how widespread and unchecked animal abuse is in Thailand it is a matter of national shame.

Animal shows of all kind are disgusting yet still acceptable in Thailand where animals are seen in general simply as a commodity.

In the UK for instance they have got rid of ALL dolphin sows, zoos are closely monitored and a now primarily concerned with animal welfare and conservation - unlike the crappy circus acts that pass for zoos in Thailand.

THe entire nation needs a big re-education as to what an animal is and how it fits into the bio-system.

So as a nation on this issue they SHOULD hang their head in shame on this issue

(PS - Hello Kitty is NOT  areal animal - yet it gets lavished with far more money care and attention than any wildlife here in Thailand.)</span></div>

Edited July 14, 2010 by Deeral

[spectrumisgreen]

Be interesting to know just how tourist will be WARNED - as in PRIOR to doing the now bad deed!! - that they shouldn't feed the elephants and that it is illegal and an imminent 10k baht fine will be forthcoming for miscreants!! Personally, I forsee NO warning just an instant fine - quite possibly 'reduced' if paid there and then to an extremely 'helpful' officer!! - given to the unknowing, as they sit joking with their friends and families, feeding the big cute funny animals 'you don't see in the streets at home'!!! :jap: