News Forum - New measures to protect Thailand’s elephants

[Thaiger]

As Thailand marks the country’s National Elephant Day, authorities are rolling out ambitious plans to safeguard the majestic creatures and mitigate human-elephant conflicts. With a blend of innovation, community involvement, and legislative actions, the nation aims to secure the future of both wild and domesticated elephants. Thailand, renowned for its vibrant culture and diverse wildlife, … …

The story New measures to protect Thailand’s elephants as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[Ramanathan.P]

Animals come into conflict with humans because it is the human who invade animal's territory and livelyhood. Just don't invade or encroach their territory, they will not come to humans. Looks like someone is going to be a mediator between the wild animals and humans...

[cowslip]

I think peopoe would be surprised to see how few laws there are regulating the welfare of either captie or wild elephants in Thailand.

[LeReynard]

Captive elephants are taken from the wild, not domesticated. Like cheetahs they have not historically bread well in captivity. Ergo they do not posses a domestication syndrome

[cowslip]

45 minutes ago, LeReynard said:

Captive elephants are taken from the wild, not domesticated. Like cheetahs they have not historically bread well in captivity. Ergo they do not posses a domestication syndrome

It is wrong to call captive elephants “domesticated” because by any standard, they aren’t. However the stock of elephants in Thailand is not all captured from the wild.

 

In the late 1980s when logging was ended, Thailand had a stock of between 3000 and 4000 captive elephants. Many of these have been bred in captivity as well as captiured from the wild there was no real regulation of census of elephants and the authorities just let the market do what they like with them. “What will be, will be” attitude. 

Captive elephants live between 40 and 60 years or so and by now that population should have completely died out.

However the current captive population is about the same as it was then – so one has to ask what has happened.

It was quickly found that a living could be made from elephants in the entertainment and tourist industries – without regulation they were kept to the least cost to maximise profits. As elephants got old or sick they needed to be replaced.

This was done either by capture from the wild, or breeding – both are highly undesirable.

Capture is extremely cruel, and elephants are an endangered species – international trade in elephants is prohibited under CITES of which Thailand is a signatory.

Breeding programs have more than doubled in th last decade and are a danger to the health of elephants. Baby elephants are of course a massively profitable tourist attraction so many exploit the animals in this way.

 

[cowslip]

for a basic idea of what has been going on with elephants in Thailand take a look at this TV series  - tit may not tackle the subject in great depth but gives a very good overview of elephant abuse.

 

 

Paul O’Grady’s Great Elephant Adventure

 

 

https://www.itv.com/watch/paul-ogradys-great-elephant-adventure/2a7594

 

 

[Ramanathan.P]

16 hours ago, cowslip said:

for a basic idea of what has been going on with elephants in Thailand take a look at this TV series  - tit may not tackle the subject in great depth but gives a very good overview of elephant abuse.

Paul O’Grady’s Great Elephant Adventure

https://www.itv.com/watch/paul-ogradys-great-elephant-adventure/2a7594

This is nothing when compared to woman abuse...especially in Pattaya, Phuket and major tourists destinations where they are being used as an exhibit for tourists entertainments. It is being camouflage as an industry for income generation at the expense of silent abouse of thousands of innocent woman and young girls. 

[cowslip]

9 hours ago, Ramanathan.P said:

This is nothing when compared to woman abuse...especially in Pattaya, Phuket and major tourists destinations where they are being used as an exhibit for tourists entertainments. It is being camouflage as an industry for income generation at the expense of silent abouse of thousands of innocent woman and young girls. 

you don't see underfed women or ones with broken legs trying to work or forced to have babies

Seriously though, Iit is of course a false dichotomy and the effects of elephant abuse are highly detrimental to Thailand's environment.

 

In no way does the one justify or mitigate the other.