Elephant Rampage: Tragedy Strikes Phuket Honeymooners

[cowslip]

Elephants do belong in the wild, just like the dancing bears in the Ukraine and all the animals that are by definition maltreated in China. There will always be a moment that the animal instinct wins. People should stop torturing animals

Sorry but you are talking nonsense - once animals have been kept in captivity, they can seldom be released into the wild.

As said problem one is that they have lost their fear of humans

problem 2 - they don't have the skills/instincts to survive - even bear cubs learn

problem 3 - habitat - this is ring engulfed by human development and intrusion

[moonbarman]

This happens a lot. A couple of times / year.

Why do people continue to ride elephants?

Sit on the beach instead.

And why do people continue to rent jetskis? Money is extorted for the same damage everyday multiple times a day.

And why do people buy ladyboys from beach road? They get drugged and have all their belongings stolen.

sounds like your'e talking from personal experience LOL (sorry)

[moonbarman]

Aren't Ukrainian women lovely? And brave enough to put on a nice smile too!

Isn't it interesting how Thai commercial operators expect, by divine right, monetary compensation for any damage to themselves -- yet the elephant trek owner goes silent after a mere request for medical expenses? How about the Thai government enforcing compulsory third-party insurance on all tourist-related activities as they do for motor vehicles?

Male elephants in must are dangerous creatures, a fact of animal life this particular camp has yet to recognise.

Thailand: nice country, shame about the attitude.

Well said i agree totally but not just this camp trevor, over the years i have seen young and old bulls in must at more than one trekking camp on phuket and i'm no expert but when bull elephants start secreting must from the glands on their cheeks surely these professional elephant owners should seperate them from the rest of the camp, also its a lot worse with young bull elephants in must because they have no way of releasing their hormonal frustrations by mating as the older bulls do but TIT.

[plumeria]

If enslaving Burmese on Thai fishing boats is OK then problems with elephants is not on anybody's Top 10 list of problems to solve in Thailand.

Riding an elephant is hardly abuse or torture of the animals.

Hope the victims recover fully and glad to see some fast thinker cut them free before the woman was killed.

[cowslip]

If enslaving Burmese on Thai fishing boats is OK then problems with elephants is not on anybody's Top 10 list of problems to solve in Thailand.

Riding an elephant is hardly abuse or torture of the animals.

Hope the victims recover fully and glad to see some fast thinker cut them free before the woman was killed.

Time and again we get someone who uses this facile argument - "while one issue is very bad, how can we address another"

Please it is SOOOO simplistic and in no way valid.

Issues are not solved consecutively but concurrently.