Ceileigh Syme
The condition of the Asian elephant in Thailand is complex: endangered and worshiped, this forgotten idol needs international attention. In rapidly developing Thailand, it is a struggle to protect, conserve, and cherish the elephant as it desperately needs. Awareness of the issues that surround the Thai elephant is crucial to its survival. Her ears are tattered and speckled pink from old age. The skin behind her ears is cool and soft, but deeply wrinkled. She has scars across her head, on her legs, down her back. In one eye, the amber color of all elephant eyes is slowly becoming muted. The other eye covered with blue, milky color is blind. Kiota was a logging elephant, and then when logging became illegal in 1989, she became a transporter for tourists looking for the “real” Thailand experience. Kiota like so many other elephants in Thailand today has come to represent the changing place elephants have in Thai society. Once the builders of the country they are now unemployed, homeless or simply just entertainment to the nearly 10 millions tourists per year who come to Thailand. She has been sold and bought too many times to know if she was born captive, or was taken our of the forests to become a worker. This elephant standing in front of me is almost twice my age. Her life has not been easy, but now she is one of the lucky ones living in a sanctuary away from the demands of people, but still not free. A century ago there were approximately 100,000 elephants in Thailand, both domestic and wild. Today, there are 5,000 animals left; 3,000 are domesticated, 2,000 are wild. The Asian elephant is listed on The World Conservation Union (IUCN) endangered species red list. Because in Thailand, the entire elephant population is neither wild nor captive there is no one solution to help all of the elephants. But the many issues that are facing the whole population are complex and difficult. The culmination of these issues is resulting in the realistic prediction that these animals will soon cease to exist. Click here for PDF version: |
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