Advocating for elephant welfare in Thailand

Two associates stroll side-by-side on a dusty street surrounded by 80 acres of jungle. They cease to have a look at one another for a second as if considering their subsequent transfer earlier than one follows the opposite right into a cool pond to beat the warmth. At 9:45 am, the Krabi solar is already making itself identified within the early hours of the day.   

Their names are Dao Rueng and Lao Thong Chaba, and so they’re rescued elephants. Now aged 28 and 41, they’ve discovered a house at an elephant sanctuary after years within the logging and elephant driving trade. Following Giants is an moral sanctuary in Thailand’s coastal province of Krabi that focuses on offering a peaceable, pure atmosphere for elephants. At their core, they advocate for commentary over interplay. 

Dao Reung and Lao Thong bathe under banana and pineapple bushes in a pond not less than thrice the scale of an Olympic pool. They dip and dive underneath the water, trunks flailing round within the air. One holds onto a trunkful of reeds and dunks them out and in of the water as if to marinate them earlier than chowing down.  

On the opposite facet of the pond, seven-year-old Mongkoln swings his trunk within the air earlier than overlaying himself in dust and dirt – an indication of happiness.  

Standing safely from a distance, a small group of us are huddled on a wood viewing platform, quietly watching these magnificent creatures from afar. There’s no bathing, driving, patting or feeding the elephants – simply whole adoration.   

Following Giants needs this expertise to be the norm for guests to Thailand. Their mission to create a greater future for elephants is supported by considered one of The Intrepid Basis’s latest companions: World Animal Safety Thailand. This organisation is devoted to advocacy and training, reworking Thailand’s tourism trade and enhancing the lives of elephants in captivity by becoming a member of forces with sanctuaries like Following Giants. 

The specter of unethical elephant tourism 

A decade in the past, Intrepid introduced that it could now not supply elephant rides on journeys. Nevertheless, many corporations proceed to supply experiences that don’t prioritise the well-being of elephants – like elephant rides, bathing elephants or performances. Whereas Intrepid doesn’t at the moment go to Following Giants on any Thailand journeys, seeing one of many sanctuaries supported by World Animal Safety Thailand in motion helped me perceive the affect of their work. 

I spoke with  Roatchana (Nui) Sungthong, nation director at World Animal Safety Thailand and proprietor of Following Giants, Charae ‘Ray’ Sangkaow.  

Ray’s household has owned elephants for six generations. He’s proud to be a part of the change in elephant welfare and has labored with World Animal Safety Thailand since 2019 when he began the transition to turning into an elephant-friendly mannequin. 

From an outsider’s perspective, it’s simple to counsel that the easy answer could be to cease utilizing captive elephants. Nonetheless, Nui explains it’s not that easy. She tells me that elephants have been integral to the nation’s historical past and tradition for a whole lot of years and celebrated because the nationwide animal. 

Elephants – a logo of Thailand since historic occasions 

Thought-about sacred animals, elephants have been a part of royal ceremony processions in Thailand from as early because the thirteenth century by way of the twentieth century. They have been utilized in warfare from historic occasions by way of the late nineteenth century, notably through the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350–1767). With the rise of contemporary weaponry, their army function pale by the tip of the 1800s. 

In Southern Thailand at present, it’s not unusual for elephants to spend half the 12 months getting used for leisure, together with elephant rides, and the opposite half hauling logs through the tourism low season.  

World Animal Safety Thailand’s purpose is to make sure elephants’ well being and well-being come first above revenue, which I discovered is a tough house to navigate in Thailand, given how intrinsically related the animals are to trendy Thai heritage and tradition. Even at present, there stays a degree respect for elephant carers and their knowledge inside the cultural context of Thailand, given how revered elephants are because of their historic ties with centuries previous. With elephants being so related to the tourism trade too, there’s a massive demand for the unethical breeding of elephants that contributes to the cruelty cycle. Earlier this 12 months, World Animal Safety Thailand assessedf837 elephants in 357 sanctuaries throughout Asia and located that 63% have been residing in severely insufficient circumstances. 

With so many elephants in captivity, it turns into a difficult pursuit to abruptly shut down such a big trade, which places welfare and improved circumstances in view as the last word purpose. Nui provides, ‘Enhancing the welfare of captive elephants is a fragile course of that requires each fieldwork and systemic adjustments.’ 

Ray shares his hopes for future generations to know solely of no-touch commentary as the one option to see elephants in Thailand. Within the meantime, his focus is to provide rescued elephants life and defend them for the rest of their years. 

After I requested Ray how his household considered the work of Following Giants, he mentioned his household – together with his grandfather – have been proud and supportive of the change in path for elephants. Listening to Ray speak about his household and the way elephants have at all times been a part of his life helped me perceive the larger image of my query, why can’t elephants simply be freed? He tells me {that a} life in captivity leaves many elephants ill-equipped to outlive within the wild.  

Nui explains that eight elephant sanctuaries in Thailand which might be at the moment supported by World Animal Safety Thailand meet excessive welfare and moral requirements – and extra are to return. These sanctuaries permit travellers the possibility to admire elephants in pure or purpose-built environments and to find out about them with out straight interacting with them. These venues additionally ensure that the mahouts (elephant caretakers) are usually not required to make elephants carry out for leisure, together with rides, bathing or up-close selfies. When there isn’t a direct interplay between elephants and travellers, it’s thought of a lot safer too. 

Small steps and massive strikes for these light giants 

One of many eight elephant camps that at the moment meets this normal is ChaingChill. For nearly 5 years, Intrepid travellers have visited ChaingChill on the Discover Northern Thailand, Thailand Household Vacation, Lovely Northern Thailand journeys and others.  

ChaingChill was previously generally known as Comfortable Elephant Care Valley. In 2017, they shifted in the direction of turning into an elephant-friendly venue earlier than reopening in 2019. They stopped providing elephant rides and transitioned to a thriving mannequin for top welfare, moral elephant tourism. 

Supakorn Tananseth, proprietor of ChiangChill, attended a seminar held by World Animal Safety in 2017 and discovered concerning the idea of elephant-friendly sanctuaries.  ‘I used to be impressed to make the transition,’ he says.  ‘I quickly realized that vacationers loved the brand new ChangChill actions and offered very constructive suggestions consequently.’ 

ChiangChill is now thought of a number one instance of how constructive change can occur. 

All ears for constructive change forward 

Whereas nearly 3000 elephants are nonetheless getting used for leisure and hauling logs, the work of World Animal Safety Thailand to assist accountable initiatives like ChangChill and Following Giants can encourage different venues to make the swap and present it’s doable to be a profitable venue that acts with animal welfare first.    

Nui encourages travellers to be simply as a lot part of the answer – to take time to analysis and select their wildlife experiences properly. As demand from travellers shifts to assist elephant-friendly sanctuaries, the hope and imaginative and prescient is that different operators will naturally adapt, too.  

For elephants like Dao Rueng, Lao Thong Chaba and Mongkoln, the longer term is already trying higher. 

Be taught extra about animal welfare and advocacy from World Animal Safety Thailand and the way The Intrepid Basis helps them. To see elephants in a accountable method, check out Intrepid’s journeys to Thailand.