It's 'taming with torture' for elephants in Thailand
Elephants dressed in Santa Claus costumes perform during a gift presentation to schoolchildren during Christmas celebrations in Ayutthaya on December 23, 2019.
Separated from their mothers, jabbed with metal hooks, and sometimes deprived of food — many Thai elephants are tamed by force before being sold to lucrative tourism sites increasingly advertised as ‘sanctuaries’ to cruelty-conscious travelers.
Balanced precariously on hind legs, 2-year-old Ploy holds a ball in her trunk and flings it toward a hoop, one of many tricks she is learning in Ban Ta Klang, a traditional training village in the east.
Here young elephants are “broken” to interact with tens of millions of tourists who visit Thailand every year, many eager to capture social media-worthy encounters of the kingdom’s national animal playing sports, dancing and even painting.
Villagers in Ban Ta Klang who have been working with the large, gentle animals for generations say taming is necessary for safety reasons and that the force is not excessive.
“We do not raise them to hurt them ... If they are not stubborn, we do nothing to them,” said mahout Charin, as he stroked Ploy’s head affectionately and spoke of her as part of his family.
Charin makes about US$350 a month in a profession that was handed down from his father and grandfather.
“I have always lived with them.”
Outdated practices
But animal welfare advocates argue the taming technique — where babies are removed from the care of fiercely devoted mothers at the age of 2 — is cruel and outdated.
Elephants were phased out of the logging industry about 30 years ago, leaving their mahouts unemployed.
So they turned to Thailand’s flourishing tourism industry, a burgeoning sector of amusement parks offering elephant rides and performances.
An elephant having a bath before the arrival of tourists during the annual Surin Elephant Round-up festival in the northeastern Thai province of Surin on November 17, 2019.
A tamed elephant can now fetch up to US$80,000, a colossal investment that then requires grueling hours of work and increasingly bizarre stunts to be recouped.
As tourists become more aware of the potential cruelty of such activities, a growing number of places have opted to use the term ‘sanctuary’ or ‘refuge.’
Many do not permit rides or animal performances.
Instead, tourists are encouraged to feed, groom and care for elephants, gaining an unforgettable experience with one of nature’s most majestic creatures.
