Dozens of elephants forced to perform for tourists in #Thailand are freed from their chains following outcry over their conditions
Heart-warming footage released today shows the animals grazing freely and playfully interacting with each other at the Maesa Elephant Camp, in Chiang Mai.
‘Cruel’ conditions at the camp were exposed last November by activists who revealed that baby elephants were ‘ripped from their mothers’ and then forced to learn stunts such as painting pictures, kicking footballs and throwing darts.
But bosses at the camp have now begun to remove the shackles and are allowing some of its 77 elephants to wander freely around the grounds.
Executive officer Anchalee Kalamaphichit said they were planning to remove the chains from all of the elephants in the coming weeks.
She said: ‘The centre has been criticised for a long time about how we chain the animals in here, so we decided to free them.
‘However, living freely is a new thing to these elephants. They need time to adapt into their new way of living so we chose to start with the eldest and friendliest of the elephants.
‘We are glad that they appeared to be happier living without chains and their mahouts, so hopefully we can free the rest of them soon.’
British lobby group Moving Animals – who exposed the elephants’ plight last year – said they were delighted.
Founder Amy Jones said: ‘It’s incredible to see these elephants living freely without their chains.
‘With over 70 captive elephants, Maesa Elephant Camp is the biggest camp in Northern Thailand.
‘Their compassionate decision sends a powerful message to the elephant tourism industry and sets a clear precedent for change.
‘With ABTA – the UK’s largest travel association – updating their guidelines to condemn unethical elephant interactions, we are hopeful that more and more tourist attractions will make positive changes, so that no animals have to suffer for tourist’s entertainment. ‘
Last year, Moving Animals activists saw elephants swaying in distress in a ‘clear sign of the psychological anguish they face’.
They filmed elephants being dragged by their ears and being hit with sharp bullhooks by their keepers.
Ms Jones said calves were forced to undergo ‘the traditional and brutal, days or weeks long, process of breaking a young elephant’s spirit.’
She added: ‘It is heartbreaking to think that these innocent babies at Maesa Elephant Nursery are at the start of a lifetime of captivity that will feature sharp bullhooks, cruel performances, and severe psychological stress.’
Moving Animals last year called for an outright ban on the advertising and sale of ‘unethical’ elephant tours to ‘cruel places like Maesa Elephant Nursery’.
‘Elephants continue to face relentless physical brutality and psychological suffering to take part in rides, processions and performances,’ they said.
The trips ‘are also highly dangerous to tourists who are frequently attacked, and sometimes killed, by stressed out tourist elephants,’ they added.
–
You can follow BangkokJack on Instagram, Twitter & Reddit. Or join the free mailing list (top right)
Please help us continue to bring the REAL NEWS – PayPal
