Sick Elephant Rescued From Certain Death At East Pattaya Forest

[Rimmer]

Sick Elephant rescued from certain death at East Pattaya forest

PATTAYA: -- A sick Elephant who had been left chained to a tree in a forest for over one month was rescued over the weekend from certain death. The Elephant called “Boonmar” is thought to be aged around 7 to 10 years and had been working at the Pattaya Elephant Village in East Pattaya. She had recently become ill and was kept apart from the rest of the herd as a precaution. Over the weekend, one of the Elephant Masters at the village discovered the elephant had collapsed but was still breathing. Others were brought in to the forest area located near the Maprachan Reservoir to assist her to her feet, although it was clear she was in very poor health. It was decided to take the Elephant back to the Village where a Vet would check her over.

Full story and pictures HERE

-- Pattaya One 2011-10-24

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[Mobi]

Sadly, this story does not surprise me.

I have become increasingly sceptical about the treatment of wild animals in so – called elephant sanctuaries, reservations etc., and in fact all live animal shows in Thailand.

There is now overwhelming evidence that these animals are ill- treated and in the case of elephants they are physically beaten and mistreated in the process of breaking their spirit to train them to perform. Many documentary makers have failed in their attempts to film elephants being trained as they are taken deep into the jungle where no prying eyes can observe the process, (after elephant mahouts have been caught out in the past), and these days, investigators have had to go undercover to expose these cruelties.

Even in so-called civilised countries like the UK, ill treatment and cruelty to wild animals has been exposed in recent years, and it is not for nothing that circuses are now banned from showing wild animal acts. It is a given that wild animals can only be trained by using some measure of cruelty.

Has anyone been to the crocodile farm and seen the wild bear and the wild tiger sitting placidly for tourists to have their picture taken sitting or standing next to them? It is almost medieval. I wonder what was done to these wild, proud and frightening beats to make them so compliant.

And is it any wonder that there are frequent instances of rogue elephants going wild during elephant shows or out on treks which has resulted in the killing and maiming of tourists?

I did take my family to see the elephant show at the elephant village in East Pattaya a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised by the apparent caring attitude towards the elephants. I was lulled in to a false sense that these folk really did care about these magnificent animals – after all it was a ‘sanctuary’, or so I thought until this incident came to light.

But this was before I started to learn about what really goes on with these elephants, behind closed doors, so to speak.

The other day, quite coincidentally, I suddenly had a thought to take a young lad and his mother to see the show and we drove up there to enquire about the show times and the price. Can you imagine my shock when we were told it was 650 Baht per head for ALL adults (farang or Thai) and any kid above a certain height would also pay the adult price. The mother worked out that her exceptionally tall, 9 year old son would have to pay the adult price. So that is just under 2,000 Baht for three people to watch was effectively a 1 hour show, and if you want to take a short ride on an elephant, that is extra.

I’m afraid that the treatment and commercialisation of wild animals in Thailand go hand in hand and I am not sure what the solution is. Some say that if the elephants didn’t perform at shows, then there would be no money to feed them and that the species would die out. Others say that there are truly genuine elephant sanctuaries in some parts of Thailand where the elephants are treated well. This may be so, but I frankly have my doubts.

The Asian elephant is an integral part of Thai culture and history and is revered by most Thais. I simply cannot believe it would cost the government that much to fund and support genuine sanctuaries for what is one of their national icons.

So much money is raised nation-wide to support the village Wats and adorn them with ever more gold, so how about starting a national charity to take care of the elephants?

I am sure that Thais and tourists alike, would be happy to contribute, and it wouldn’t be beyond the wit of man to arrange lucrative tour treks to see the elephants in their natural settings, rather than watch them play football or draw ridiculous paintings in commercial shows where the elephants have been subjected to unimaginable cruelty.