Baby elephant seized at Phuket trekking camp

[Lite Beer]

Baby elephant seized at Phuket trekking camp
Phuket Gazette -

Phang Sutjai, 18 months old, was smuggled into Phuket to be trained to work in the elephant-trekking industry. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: Local wildlife conservation officials yesterday seized an 18-month-old elephant at a camp in Phuket after the infant pachyderm was smuggled onto the island.

Acting on a tip-off, officers led by Kathu District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol raided the camp, located in the Bang Thong in Kathu , at 3pm.

Joining the raid were officers from the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office and the Khao Pra Taew Wildlife Conservation Office in Thalang.

“The young female elephant, named Phang Sutjai, was chained to a coconut tree,” Mr Veera said.

Officers also found the owner of the elephant camp, Prasob Jerkaew, 37, at the site.

“Mr Prasob said he imported Phang Sutjai from Song Phraek, in Phang Nga, two days ago so she could be reared and trained to work in the Phuket elephant-trekking tourist business,” Mr Veera said.

“Mr Prasob confessed that he did not have a permit to bring the elephant into Phuket, but maintained he had legal registration documents for her,” he said.

Phuket Livestock Officers confirmed the microchip number on Phang Sutjai’s left ear as 116-417-513 A.

“We formally seized the elephant, but she can stay at the camp and be cared for while we continue our investigation,” Mr Veera said.

Mr Prasob was taken to Thung Thong Police Station and charged with importing an elephant into the province without a permit, Mr Veera added.

“Officers will continue their investigation to determine the origins of Phang Sutjai to make sure she was not poached from the wild or stolen from another elephant camp elsewhere in Thailand,” he said.

The elephant camp raid yesterday may be Mr Veera’s last official act in Phuket, as he recently received an unexplained “urgent order” from the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry to vacate his post and report to Don Sak in Surat Thani .

Mr Vera was given 10 days to leave the province.

He will take up his new position as Don Sak District Chief on Monday.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Baby-elephant-seized-at-Phuket-trekking-camp-22624.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-10-27

[CHANGOVER]

Mr Vera was moved very speedily to avoid him putting any names to the hi-up creatures that order the poaching of baby elephants!

SICK!!

[Somtamnication]

These elephant camps need to be closed all over Thailand. It only gives money to corrupt officials.

[Valentine]

These magnificent animals are so badly treated by people who claim to be of Buddhist faith. Does anyone think the camp owner will get more than just a slap on the wrist? This I copied from a website "Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. They drink their mother's milk for about 2 years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day. At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, but still need as much milk from their mother. They continue drinking milk for up to ten years."

Yesterday on Thai TV I saw a clip with what looked to be a juvenile elephant who had fallen over (probably from exhaustion) on a busy city road. The handlers were booting it & dragging it's tail to try & get it to stand up. Utterly disgraceful.

[JoeThePoster]

We formally seized the elephant, but she can stay at the camp and be cared for while we continue our investigation

That should teach 'em.

[MILT]

These elephant camps need to be closed all over Thailand. It only gives money to corrupt officials.

These magnificent animals are so badly treated by people who claim to be of Buddhist faith. Does anyone think the camp owner will get more than just a slap on the wrist? This I copied from a website "Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. They drink their mother's milk for about 2 years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day. At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, but still need as much milk from their mother. They continue drinking milk for up to ten years."

Yesterday on Thai TV I saw a clip with what looked to be a juvenile elephant who had fallen over (probably from exhaustion) on a busy city road. The handlers were booting it & dragging it's tail to try & get it to stand up. Utterly disgraceful.

You both need some facts about elephants and elephant camps, which i will gladly do now.

Elephant camps are not owned by corrupted officials are mafia. They are own by private companies. Most if not all have breeding programs and do not rely on poached elephants. So no not all elephant camps should be closed. The unlicensed camps should and will be closed this I agree with.

"Elephant Facts" Baby elephants are close to their mothers for their entire lives. They nurse from their mother up to 3 years. They can drink up to 6 to 9 gallons of milk from their mother depending on how quick the mother produces her milk after the baby feeds and this solely depends on how much the mother is feeding throughout the day and night. The mother weens her calf a little after 3 years on their own. LOL I have been working with domesticated elephants here in Thailand for 18 years and have never witness a 10 year old elephant nursing. These are true facts people. Educate yourselves with facts so when you make a post you don't come across totally ignorant.

[bangon04]

These elephant camps need to be closed all over Thailand. It only gives money to corrupt officials.

These magnificent animals are so badly treated by people who claim to be of Buddhist faith. Does anyone think the camp owner will get more than just a slap on the wrist? This I copied from a website "Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. They drink their mother's milk for about 2 years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day. At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, but still need as much milk from their mother. They continue drinking milk for up to ten years."

Yesterday on Thai TV I saw a clip with what looked to be a juvenile elephant who had fallen over (probably from exhaustion) on a busy city road. The handlers were booting it & dragging it's tail to try & get it to stand up. Utterly disgraceful.

You both need some facts about elephants and elephant camps, which i will gladly do now.

Elephant camps are not owned by corrupted officials are mafia. They are own by private companies. Most if not all have breeding programs and do not rely on poached elephants. So no not all elephant camps should be closed. The unlicensed camps should and will be closed this I agree with.

"Elephant Facts" Baby elephants are close to their mothers for their entire lives. They nurse from their mother up to 3 years. They can drink up to 6 to 9 gallons of milk from their mother depending on how quick the mother produces her milk after the baby feeds and this solely depends on how much the mother is feeding throughout the day and night. The mother weens her calf a little after 3 years on their own. LOL I have been working with domesticated elephants here in Thailand for 18 years and have never witness a 10 year old elephant nursing. These are true facts people. Educate yourselves with facts so when you make a post you don't come across totally ignorant.

So the fact that this baby elephant is estimated to be only 18 months old, and is smuggled onto the island and into this camp without proper documentation, and separated from her mother must be by your standards a bad thing, and therefore the camp should be closed down, regardless of whether it is protected by corrupt officials etc.

[MILT]

These elephant camps need to be closed all over Thailand. It only gives money to corrupt officials.

These magnificent animals are so badly treated by people who claim to be of Buddhist faith. Does anyone think the camp owner will get more than just a slap on the wrist? This I copied from a website "Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. They drink their mother's milk for about 2 years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day. At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, but still need as much milk from their mother. They continue drinking milk for up to ten years."

Yesterday on Thai TV I saw a clip with what looked to be a juvenile elephant who had fallen over (probably from exhaustion) on a busy city road. The handlers were booting it & dragging it's tail to try & get it to stand up. Utterly disgraceful.

You both need some facts about elephants and elephant camps, which i will gladly do now.

Elephant camps are not owned by corrupted officials are mafia. They are own by private companies. Most if not all have breeding programs and do not rely on poached elephants. So no not all elephant camps should be closed. The unlicensed camps should and will be closed this I agree with.

"Elephant Facts" Baby elephants are close to their mothers for their entire lives. They nurse from their mother up to 3 years. They can drink up to 6 to 9 gallons of milk from their mother depending on how quick the mother produces her milk after the baby feeds and this solely depends on how much the mother is feeding throughout the day and night. The mother weens her calf a little after 3 years on their own. LOL I have been working with domesticated elephants here in Thailand for 18 years and have never witness a 10 year old elephant nursing. These are true facts people. Educate yourselves with facts so when you make a post you don't come across totally ignorant.

So the fact that this baby elephant is estimated to be only 18 months old, and is smuggled onto the island and into this camp without proper documentation, and separated from her mother must be by your standards a bad thing, and therefore the camp should be closed down, regardless of whether it is protected by corrupt officials etc.

Separating this calf from the mother at 18 months is not a good idea. This particular elephant camp which I am not familiar with should be investigated and if found to be using these types of practices should be shut down. I just don't have enough information about this camp to know if it is license etc. Most elephant camps that I am familiar with are licensed and have their own breeding programs and do not need to smuggle elephants. I do have questions like as to where is the mother? Why haven't the Phuket Provincial Livestock Office and the Khao Pra Taew Wildlife Conservation Office in Thalang bring the mother to the calf until their investigation is complete. Is there another lactating cow in the camp that is willing to let this calf feed? (which most females will not) but some will. Will the mahouts consider milking a lactating cow in the herd (if there is one) and bottle feed this calf? Has this calf been introduced to the herd? How many elephants work in this camp? Females/Males ratio?

[Somtamnication]

These elephant camps need to be closed all over Thailand. It only gives money to corrupt officials.

These magnificent animals are so badly treated by people who claim to be of Buddhist faith. Does anyone think the camp owner will get more than just a slap on the wrist? This I copied from a website "Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. They drink their mother's milk for about 2 years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day. At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, but still need as much milk from their mother. They continue drinking milk for up to ten years."

Yesterday on Thai TV I saw a clip with what looked to be a juvenile elephant who had fallen over (probably from exhaustion) on a busy city road. The handlers were booting it & dragging it's tail to try & get it to stand up. Utterly disgraceful.

You both need some facts about elephants and elephant camps, which i will gladly do now.

Elephant camps are not owned by corrupted officials are mafia. They are own by private companies. Most if not all have breeding programs and do not rely on poached elephants. So no not all elephant camps should be closed. The unlicensed camps should and will be closed this I agree with.

"Elephant Facts" Baby elephants are close to their mothers for their entire lives. They nurse from their mother up to 3 years. They can drink up to 6 to 9 gallons of milk from their mother depending on how quick the mother produces her milk after the baby feeds and this solely depends on how much the mother is feeding throughout the day and night. The mother weens her calf a little after 3 years on their own. LOL I have been working with domesticated elephants here in Thailand for 18 years and have never witness a 10 year old elephant nursing. These are true facts people. Educate yourselves with facts so when you make a post you don't come across totally ignorant.

I stand corrected. All elephant camps in Thailand are properly run, have their licences and baby elephants are with their mothers for at least 5 years of their lives. Thereby, please throw your money at them.

Also, non-poached elephants are exempted from the beatings, chains and elephant trekking for 12 hours a day.

Thanks for informing us, Milt. Now, get your head out of the sand stop being an apologist!

[MILT]

These elephant camps need to be closed all over Thailand. It only gives money to corrupt officials.

These magnificent animals are so badly treated by people who claim to be of Buddhist faith. Does anyone think the camp owner will get more than just a slap on the wrist? This I copied from a website "Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. They drink their mother's milk for about 2 years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day. At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, but still need as much milk from their mother. They continue drinking milk for up to ten years."

Yesterday on Thai TV I saw a clip with what looked to be a juvenile elephant who had fallen over (probably from exhaustion) on a busy city road. The handlers were booting it & dragging it's tail to try & get it to stand up. Utterly disgraceful.

You both need some facts about elephants and elephant camps, which i will gladly do now.

Elephant camps are not owned by corrupted officials are mafia. They are own by private companies. Most if not all have breeding programs and do not rely on poached elephants. So no not all elephant camps should be closed. The unlicensed camps should and will be closed this I agree with.

"Elephant Facts" Baby elephants are close to their mothers for their entire lives. They nurse from their mother up to 3 years. They can drink up to 6 to 9 gallons of milk from their mother depending on how quick the mother produces her milk after the baby feeds and this solely depends on how much the mother is feeding throughout the day and night. The mother weens her calf a little after 3 years on their own. LOL I have been working with domesticated elephants here in Thailand for 18 years and have never witness a 10 year old elephant nursing. These are true facts people. Educate yourselves with facts so when you make a post you don't come across totally ignorant.

I stand corrected. All elephant camps in Thailand are properly run, have their licences and baby elephants are with their mothers for at least 5 years of their lives. Thereby, please throw your money at them.

Also, non-poached elephants are exempted from the beatings, chains and elephant trekking for 12 hours a day.

Thanks for informing us, Milt. Now, get your head out of the sand stop being an apologist!

I think I understand. You wish for something that is not possible. I got it!

As far as beatings? Have you witness this personally? Which elephant camp do 12 hr. (a day) treks?

So let me get this right. A popular NGO here in Chiangmai organizes an elephant to trek from Surin to Chiangmai ( bring the elephants home) is what I think it was named. Hahahahahahah Thereby please throw your money at them?

Thanks for setting me straight!

[Somtamnication]

Plenty of videos of these beatings. Want links? Seriously, you want links? 18 years at an elephant camp and you don't know this?

Not once did I say NGOs are to blame for the theft of young elephants, nor chains nor beatings.

Your next statement will be: Never seen elephants walking around Bangkok.

Sad.

[MILT]

Plenty of videos of these beatings. Want links? Seriously, you want links? 18 years at an elephant camp and you don't know this? alt=facepalm.gif>

Not once did I say NGOs are to blame for the theft of young elephants, nor chains nor beatings. alt=blink.png>

Your next statement will be: Never seen elephants walking around Bangkok.

Sad.

Yes please send me the links of beatings at ?? elephant camps. You didn't say anything about NGO's I did?? I my point is not all is what it seems on both sides of the issue.

I've seen plenty in Bangkok and in Chiangmai. Actually I've seen young elephants walking and being fed banana's by tourist right in front

of a popular opened Elephant NGO here in Chiangmai with staff inside watching. I was the only one who came forward and challenged the tourist and the mahout.

What is your problem? You seemed to be trying to make this personal? I got that you want all elephants to be free, but get your head out of the sand that is not ever going to happen!

A properly run elephant camp is "I think" a great way to keep elephants from being in the cities streets, or in the illegal logging work which is extremely abusive to the elephants and the mahouts.

It is not all bad as you seem to desperately want the public and people on this forum to believe.

I look forward to the links and the names of the elephant camps.

Thanks

MILT