Battle over elephant polo on eve of popular Bangkok tournament

[craigt3365]

Elephants are not domesticated animals. The video is wrong. Guaranteed they didn't enjoy it...especially with bull hooks being used. Clear at minute 0:48 and 0:55 and 1:13. Horrible.

Also, as most don't seem to understand this, elephants actually have weak backs and it's very damaging to them to be ridden. The sponsors of this event should have known this....or maybe they did? They for sure didn't read this report:

http://www.traveldailymedia.com/232371/study-slams-cruel-animal-tourist-attractions/

Wildlife tourist activities cited by the report as being cruel to animals include riding elephants, taking photos with tigers, visiting bear parks, handling sea turtles, performing dolphins, dancing monkeys, touring civet cat coffee plantations, charming snakes and farming crocodiles.

...........

These abuses include very young animals being taken from their mothers and beaten during training to ensure they are passive enough to give rides, perform tricks, or pose for photos with tourists. The “worst venues”, the report states, are bear, elephant and tiger parks and turtle farms.

It's quite clear tourists have no idea the damage they are causing. From the same article:

The study also analysed TripAdvisor reviews to gauge awareness levels among tourists visiting wildlife venues. Of the 50,000 reviews it studied, 80% of people left positive feedback for venues cited as having poor animal welfare.

https://journals.worldnomads.com/responsible-travel/story/81053/Thailand/Why-Elephant-Riding-Should-Be-Removed-from-Your-Bucket-List

Elephant Health

Their spines cannot support the weight of people. Carrying people on their backs all day can lead to permanent spinal injuries. Imagine carrying a 50 pound backpack for nine hours a day, every day on your back. Even after an hour or so, you can feel the weight of the backpack. Imagine what it would feel like to have it on your back nearly all of your waking hours. And, the long-term damage that can come from having it on your back all day. It’s the same with elephants.

Not only is there the issue of their spines not being made to carry people, but the actual implications from having the chair or Howdah attached to their backs. The contraption rubs on the back, causing blisters that can get infected. In addition, there’s the wear and tear on the elephant’s feet. Long-term trekking can cause foot infections and injuries.

[cumgranosalum]

Here's a video of this year's event. Seems to me that the elephants are enjoying themselves and all in the name of charity. Well done! A great day out for all.

The video is from The Guardian, U.K

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XMgTV8QLAHU

Anthropomorphism is a totally misleading way of judging another animal's behaviour.

even POWs played football