patchyderm
thailand | travelled in 2012 | posted on sep 13, 2012
while in 1950 there were still more than 50,000 elephants in thailand, today there are only about 3,500 animals left - and very few of them are still living in freedom, as their natural habitat has been largely destroyed by man.
elephants have been used as working animals in thailand for centuries. currently, however, the unemployment rate of elephants is 90%. the remaining 10% spend a sad existence in tourist shows, as riding elephants - also for tourists - or are driven through thailand's cities to beg - because for a photo with an elephant, tourists are happy to give a few baht.
but even most of the unemployed elephants are not doing any better - because being unemployed does not mean freedom. on the contrary - as the mahouts (the elephant guides) cannot earn any money with their elephants, they have to find another job. and as they cannot take care of their elephants, they are chained - for safety reasons, two legs are tied together with a chain in such a way that no step is possible.
in baan tha klang, a small village in the northeast of thailand, live about 300 elephants - most of them chained for days and neglected. However, 26 elephants of the village already have a much better life: they and their mahouts participate in the surin project, a private organisation that is working for a sustainable improvement of the elephants' living conditions: as often as possible, the elephants should get away from the chains. mahouts participating in the project are not allowed to show animals in shows or offer them as riding elephants. and in particular, they are forbidden to use the "hook", which is traditionally used to control and direct the elephant. however, only the owners of 26 elephants have joined so far.
