Buying an elephant.

[GOLDBUGGY]

I am certain that you need a special permit. To be honest in all of my years here, I have heard some silly requests but this tops the cake.

Why is this request silly?

If one has the resources and the inclination, why not rear an Elephant?

Some have dogs, cats, mice as pets...

Yes, and some have Bengal Tigers, which I to think is silly.

Elephants and Tigers are wonderful animals and they belong in the wild, or at the very least a Zoo, which has large open spaces and they are fed and cared for daily. I don't think they belong as someones pets, left alone for a week while they go on vacation.

What do you know about taking care of an Endangered Species like an Elephant anyway? If you are a Professional then I take all my comments back. If you are not, then you are best to leave them alone. Because they are Endangered now, you will never be able to have one legally anyway.

[khunPer]

Trucks are available for transport, so locale is not crucial.

I assumed elephants are not available at Big C or 7-11 as is bread, but thanks for your insight.

I came across this store - presume they may have some...

Tiger cub was 100,000 a few years back - and you had to be approved - considering the size, I presume a baby elephant will be (a lot) more; and as a poster said, you may need a mahut to come with it. Surin annual Elephant Round Up may be a good place to find information - and perhaps an actual bargain...

[duanebigsby]

400,000- 500,000 in Surin but keep in mind they are "happier" in pairs.

That's no joke. Maybe a young female and her mother and at least one Aunt might be ideal. Elephants live off of grass and water. Where is this huge expense many are talking about????

You need to hire a full time mahout who will beat it , sorry train it, to do your bidding and try to keep it from rampaging through your home and village. They eat copious amounts of sugar cane as well. You need a full time attendant to scoop up tons of ......

[duanebigsby]

Pick us up giraffe when your getting an elephant.

Giraffes are impossible to get in Thailand.

As you know they come from Africa. You can't transport them per airplane, as the neck is too long. Airplanes are not high enough.

You could transport them on ships, but even on big ships the head would stick out into the wind and the poor animals get a cold and die.

And there are several in Singha Park Chiang Rai, a few in the zoo in Chiang Mai too. I think they lay them horizontal in the planes.

You can only get about 3 per flight so it's expensive. LOL!!!!

[sirineou]

Will the elephant be allowed in the house?

he,s already in.........

Elephants are terrified of mice , you can get rid of him by getting mice

then get Cats to get rid of the mice

when the cats start scratching everything in the house, get a bunch of Dogs

they will chase the cats away

of course dogs can be a problem Sh#t everywhere, but a Tiger will easily get rid of them

but now you will not be able to go in the house the tiger will eat you

Only way to deal with a tiger is to Get an Elephant

not a problem though 'cause Elephants are afraid of mice.......

[opalred]

to be safe i would think about buying a sheep with a pink bow around neck

[jobsworth]

Why do elephants wear pink shoes?

So that they can creep up on mice in strawberry fields.

[Argus Tuft]

Nice troll topic

4 pages and it is still in General... Gotta be a record!

[Suradit69]

Prices have exploded with elephants now commanding between 500,000 and two million baht ($17,000 to $67,000) per baby, estimates suggest.

http://www.businessinsider.com/asian-elephants-are-being-smuggled-into-thailand-to-tightrope-walk-for-tourists-2013-3

"I cannot see a way to buy an elephant which doesn't cause another elephant to be smuggled," he added.

Between 50 and 100 wild baby or young female elephants are sold from Myanmar each year, according to estimates by British charity Elephant Family.

The group's head of conservation, Dan Bucknell, told AFP that while some trafficked elephants may be taken elsewhere, the majority enter the Thai market.

[zeichen]

not only that but the OP put a like on my post that said this is a silly request.

[sirineou]

Nice troll topic

4 pages and it is still in General... Gotta be a record!

It is a subject that affects the lives of most expats in Thailand and as such of paramount interest to all

the General section is adequate for it to get the proper exposure it deserves

But considering it's importance , I nominate, TVF creates a special Elephant section.

Do I hear a second?

[Crazy chef 1]

Wild elephants in Thailand are considered "Protected" species, however, it seems that privately owned, "domestic" elephants are considered property and can be bought/sold like pretty much any other property it seems. (http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ad031e/ad031e0r.htm)

Note there is also apparently an active black market for elephants in Thailand. (http://www.havocscope.com/baby-elephants-for-sale/)

Domestically born elephants have an Identification Certificate and implanted microchip. Thailand was trying to make a new law (or amend an old one ?) so that domestic elephants would be treated the same as wild ones, which would allow Thai Wildlife authorities to supervise and monitor them (and confiscate any they think are illegal or incorrectly identified). (The gov't was trying to close a loophole because, naturally, there are unscrupulous people out there taking advantage of the existing rules).

Having said all that, I'm sure if you troll around the bar areas of the country you'll find plenty of these for sale:

Papa thanks for the entertainment on a dull Sunday on a meanwhile(dull) forum...I think I know what you are looking for...

[krisb]

Will the elephant be allowed in the house?

No, they leave footprints in the butter.

[Thongkorn]

I will have to make a trunk call and reverse the charges to find out how much an Elephant is.

[ozyjon]

Add another one to the list,

darling send more money

the elephant is sick.

But Bart Simpson had one,

i want one too

https://youtu.be/Q6glR0bSb_4

[djayz]

If you don't mind me asking, but why do you want to buy an elephant? It's not exactly your average, run-of-the-mill pet, comes with incredible commitment and costs.

[h90]

Elephants are great replacements for selfie sticks....this Elfie was in all major newspapers.

[GaryB1263]

Elephants are great replacements for selfie sticks....this Elfie was in all major newspapers.

She is beautiful.

[attento]

I think it's possible;

Ganesha Park in Kanchanaburi province owns his elephants ;

it belongs to a french man Francois Collier ;

it's along the big artificial lake of Thong Pha Phum, in the north of the province

http://www.ganeshapark.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297924-d1063065-Reviews-Ganesha_Park-Kanchanaburi_Kanchanaburi_Province.html

You can send him a message about your request ;

How he had the possibility of buying his elephants ?

where did he bought them ?

How much he paid for them ..?.

sure, the French used to have specialist supermarkets for them

[ableguy]

Bad news if you live in a condo in Pattaya, it might take flying lessons.

[h90]

Elephants are great replacements for selfie sticks....this Elfie was in all major newspapers.

She is beautiful.

how can you see it is a she? Because of the pink ears?

[Johpa]

When I got married back in 1987 we, the wife and I, bought an elephant. But we had to sell it about 10 years ago as the elephant business had changed and most of the better elephant camps began owning the elephants instead of renting them by the month from individual owners. The cost of any one elephant can vary depending upon such things as age, build, personality and gait. After purchase, be prepared to compensate local farmers each time your pachyderm wonders into their gardens or fields. If you have a tusker male, a bad idea, then be prepared to pay someone to watch over it day and night. Fortunately, unless you have really good connections within some of the minority communities, it is unlikely that you will be able to find anyone willing to sell an outsider an elephant unless you are willing to pay well above market pricing for a below market specimen. As romantic as it sounds, if you really want a full time headache of an investment why not try opening a restaurant instead.

[ableguy]

I will have to make a trunk call and reverse the charges to find out how much an Elephant is.

Tsk, tsk.

[GaryB1263]

Elephants are great replacements for selfie sticks....this Elfie was in all major newspapers.

She is beautiful.

how can you see it is a she? Because of the pink ears?

There is no doubt. She is a she.

[bino]

how can you see it is a she? Because of the pink ears?

There is no doubt. She is a she.

Male elephants have a very prominent bulging forehead. The female in this picture does not have.

I tried finding a good picture, but couldn't.

Next time you see a group of elephants - look for this. Dead easy to spot the difference.

Edited June 7, 2015 by bino

[Beetlejuice]

I don`t know for sure, but will give an educated guess.

I would think the only ways foreigners would be permitted to keep elephants in Thailand, if they were a part on an official organization, such as an animal conservation group or zoological society. I also believe that elephants are classified as dangerous animals and therefore ownership could only be approved by special license.

I very much doubt that anyone could visit an elephant habitation farm and be allowed to take home a cuddly baby elephant as a family pet.

[GOLDBUGGY]

Elephants are great replacements for selfie sticks....this Elfie was in all major newspapers.

She is beautiful.

how can you see it is a she? Because of the pink ears?

I hate to tell you this but you are looking in the wrong place Mate.

[HerbalEd]

can you please send me a few grams of what your smoking , as the weather must be wonderful

on YOUR planet ......

but if you are for real and looking for a pet , i have 2 " unicorns " looking for a good home we

can work out a fair price ....

You seem like the silly one here. People actually do buy and sell elephants. Nothing strange or unusual about that.

[GaryB1263]

how can you see it is a she? Because of the pink ears?

There is no doubt. She is a she.

Male elephants have a very prominent bulging forehead. The female in this picture does not have.

I tried finding a good picture, but couldn't.

Next time you see a group of elephants - look for this. Dead easy to spot the difference.

Yes Sir! Plus they are the ones usually trying to squash someone with that evil look in their eyes.

[Argus Tuft]

Nice troll topic

4 pages and it is still in General... Gotta be a record!

Dammit.

TOTALLY missed an opportunity there to open that post with "So I think I'll be the one to address the elephant in the room.."