Angry mahout assaults elephant tusk thieves

[Krataiboy]

One suspects a measure of crocodile tears. While the public may be outraged by the barbaric nature of this crime, the mahout is almost certainly far more concerned at losing his livelihood than anything else. The training of elephants forced to perform for profit in front of audiences of gawping tourists causes a great deal of pain and discomfort to the animals and the mahouts are complicit in this cruelty..

Personally, I cannot think of anything more demeaning to the elephants, their trainers and audiences than people paying to watch - as I was once felt obliged to do - elephants lumbering around a football field in oversize knickers. I felt more like crying than laughing, which is what I think we were all expected to do.

A few weeks after my first and last elephant show, one of the beasts tramped to death a spectator taunting him with a banana and was put down. I have some sympathy for the victim and family, a great deal for the elephant and absolutely none for its mahout.

[oldsailor35]

What is the point of these re-enactments? Anyone know?

I doubt even the police know. It is just a habit, which they cannot get out of.

[Getyourfactsright]

I wish I had been there. Good on them

Yes, Bravo ... assuming they captured the right bad guys ... not just for the punishment of those caught, since what they did can never be undone, but maybe anyone else thinking of doing something like this will be frightened by what happened and change his plans.

Well said, the older man had confessed I believe.. I know these people do not mess around and if the police had of let them fully get their hands on them oh lord. Added to that the bulls would of sensed and known something was going on. Amazing animals. Let's hope this is the end now.

[wabothai]

Well done Mr Meepan.

If found guilty and jailed, will they face poor treatment by the inmates?

I hope the end users (of the poached ivory ) will also be tracked down, and dealt with.

the buyers should be tracked down and be punished more heavy. They are the thugs and human scum.

[wabothai]

What beats me is why do these people commit such crimes for perhaps a modest sum of money knowing full well that their lives are going to be ruined if they get caught?

Surely the risks involved for these evil deeds cannot be worth it. The same applies to drug mules and other such high risk criminal acts for payments of modest sums of money.

Can someone explain the logic behind this, please?

they are not people notorious for thinking ability. Surely not thinking ahead and weigh the consequences. They are blinded by money, with all respectfor the good ones.

[ratcatcher]

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In a land where the elephant has an almost iconic and revered status ( becoming forgotten ) is is good to see the mahouts showing thier feelings and these butchers can thank their lucky stars they have got the protection of the police.

In days gone by theyd have probably been under the feet of an elephant by now with chests caved in and squashed flat.

chests caved in and squashed flat. Great imagery...a gruesome word picture...just what those insensitive thieves deserve...well said...

Did englishoak's post offend your sensibilities?

[thaibeachlovers]

Unfortunately, there is little doubt that the mahouts didn't act this way out of empathy for the elephant, but because they were upset at having their property damaged.

The relation between mahouts and elephants is that of masters and slaves,

Mahouts and tusk thieves are of the same breed.

The same could be said of any human that owns an animal/ animals including cats, dogs, farm animals, fish, horses etc etc.

I hope you are a vegetarian and don't consume milk, eggs or any other product gained from the master/ slave situation.

[belg]

funny ... and they have to use their hand and do saw movements to show how they saw it off ?

[Jim walker]

Well done to the mahouts hope the evil perpetrators of this greedy money oriented crime get there just deserts by the elephant loving fraternity. , prison is to good for the elephant poisoners

[KhnomKhnom]

Tell the elephants what they did and leave the guilty to pet and say sorry to elephants. Ooops did I step on you, so solly.

[The Deerhunter]

What beats me is why do these people commit such crimes for perhaps a modest sum of money knowing full well that their lives are going to be ruined if they get caught?

Surely the risks involved for these evil deeds cannot be worth it. The same applies to drug mules and other such high risk criminal acts for payments of modest sums of money.

Can someone explain the logic behind this, please?

You are acting like a normal logical caring citizen with an intelligent evaluation of all the possible scenarios that could eventuate from the consequences of the action you would have been planning. Most criminals never think of the consequences. They simply never consider the possibility of getting caught. Why would the tusks still have been at his home? Only a small percentage of criminals think things through. The murderers are called psychopaths and sometime plan meticulously and don't get caught for decades. The "pink panther" type jewel thieves of movies etc are the minority, rarety, actually. Most criminals act on the spur of the moment, plan their crime with no consideration of alibi or "Plan B" or just don't have enough brain cells. Or working brain cells, for that matter. Ya Ba, Lao Khao etc. Or desperation, financial or otherwise. This is why it is a lie to say capital punishment is a deterrent to (almost all) murder/rape etc etc. That is why they are the criminal and you are not. And also why they catch the drug mule, not the Mr Big. He is a strategic planning psychopath, with 3 alibi's, a Swiss bank account and 4 passports, (not stored at home or work,)

[The Deerhunter]

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In a land where the elephant has an almost iconic and revered status ( becoming forgotten ) is is good to see the mahouts showing thier feelings and these butchers can thank their lucky stars they have got the protection of the police.

In days gone by theyd have probably been under the feet of an elephant by now with chests caved in and squashed flat.

chests caved in and squashed flat. Great imagery...a gruesome word picture...just what those insensitive thieves deserve...well said...

Did englishoak's post offend your sensibilities?

Yes, but I did my best to suppress it for the sake of the dead elephant..

[northernjohn]

What beats me is why do these people commit such crimes for perhaps a modest sum of money knowing full well that their lives are going to be ruined if they get caught?

Surely the risks involved for these evil deeds cannot be worth it. The same applies to drug mules and other such high risk criminal acts for payments of modest sums of money.

Can someone explain the logic behind this, please?

You say you have a son who is a policeman and have to ask the TV crowd why.

Perhaps if you were to get in touch with the poor Thai's trying to live on as little as 9,000 baht a month whil;e they support a family you would learn some thing.

Unbelievable a police man can not explain greed and drugs influence that includes alcohol to you.

[northernjohn]

What is the point of these re-enactments? Anyone know?

Photo Ops

[northernjohn]

I wish I had been there. Good on them

Yes, Bravo ... assuming they captured the right bad guys ... not just for the punishment of those caught, since what they did can never be undone, but maybe anyone else thinking of doing something like this will be frightened by what happened and change his plans.

People like them will never change their plans unless there is a known severe penalty and general knowledge that it will be carried out rather than slap them on the wrist.

[northernjohn]

Unfortunately, there is little doubt that the mahouts didn't act this way out of empathy for the elephant, but because they were upset at having their property damaged.

The relation between mahouts and elephants is that of masters and slaves,

Mahouts and tusk thieves are of the same breed.

The same could be said of any human that owns an animal/ animals including cats, dogs, farm animals, fish, horses etc etc.

I hope you are a vegetarian and don't consume milk, eggs or any other product gained from the master/ slave situation.

The way they treat the elephants is far better than the way the animals raised for eating are. On the big farms it is far worse. They also dope them up so they can produce more edible meat or eggs plus the dairy products.

Have you ever saw a cattle man in the river washing his cows? Or a pig farmer in the river washing his pigs.

Now they are farming marine life. To the best of my knowledge it would take a pretty big farm to give them the area they have with out it.

I am a meat eater and have no intention of changing. But I will not take a stand against the cruelty against one animal and condoning the same thing against another by buying and eating it.

That would be hypocritical.

Edited July 19, 2014 by northernjohn

[Johpa]

The relation between mahouts and elephants is that of masters and slaves,

Mahouts and tusk thieves are of the same breed.

I have owned an elephant. I have been friends with many others that have owned elephants. And I am an aquaintance of the owner of one of the largest elephant camps in the Kingdom. I have known good mahouts. I have known very good mahouts. And yes, I have known bad mahouts. I have also seen some knowledgeable comments on ThaiVisa. And today, I read a comment that is not so knowledgeable.

[Jonmarleesco]

Well done to the mahout. 100 policemen to protect the accused, yet you can rarely find one when you want one.