Let me tell you the story about our elephant.
Pang Suai (Miss Beautiful in Thai) is a beautiful, strong
and stunning elephant. She is in her thirties (same as me!) and she lives at
the Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) which is about 320 kilometres south of
Chiang Mai in north-western Thailand. Pang Suai is much loved by the other female
elephants at the sanctuary and took on the role of Aunty to baby Star (who
sadly died in 2010). She has a good life filled with frolicking, bathing, fresh
fruit and friendship – and best of all, freedom to be an elephant.
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It wasn’t always like this for Pang Suai. Up until 2009 she
was used in the illegal logging trade in Thailand, and because of her strength
she was overworked and under enormous stress. She worked in dangerous
conditions that led to her right hind leg being broken in half – and then she
was made to keep working despite her injury. Her leg did heal – which is amazing
considering what she went through – and she now has just a slight limp. (Source:
BLES)
Why do I claim she is “our” elephant? We sponsor her and we
have three (yes, three) photos of her up in our house. She is my inspiration.
Logging and Tourism
In some countries elephants are used for legal logging
activities and are treated well by their mahouts (Hindi word meaning elephant
driver or keeper (Source: Collins
Dictionary Online). Elephants were, and in many cases are, revered for
their intelligence, warmth and character. However, in some countries, like Thailand,
logging has become illegal and elephants are at great risk of being mistreated.
Using Thailand as an example – in 1989 using elephants in
industry ended. Large floods occurred, which were in part made worse because of
irresponsible logging, and the Thai government cancelled logging concessions.
This put thousands of elephants and their mahouts out of work. This left many families
without the means to support themselves or their elephants. While some families
moved to the cities to beg, others began illegal logging or started to use
their elephants in the tourism trade. (Source: BLES).
Impacts on Elephants
Illegal logging and tourism have a negative impact on the
numbers of elephants, but rather than focussing on that I want to dot point how
illegal logging and tourism affects the actual elephants in terms of their
physical and psychological health (Source: BLES).
- · Elephants in the tourism trade have poor health, work long hours, have an inadequate diet, and can be drugged with amphetamines.
- · Baby elephants used to entertain tourists can be separated from their mothers too early and their life expectancy can be reduced to just five years (which equates, almost, to human years).
- · Elephants in the illegal logging trade are drugged so they can work more and will eat less.
- · Elephants in both illegal logging and tourism may be beaten and starved so that they will do what their owners demand.
For more detailed information on how elephants are treated, I
encourage you to go to the BLES website.
It talks about Thai elephants, but elephants in many countries face the same cruelties.
Who is responsible…
The governments? The mahouts? The people who buy and sell
wood from illegal logging? Tourists? What about Western countries?
Perhaps it’s a little of each.
Mahouts and their families need a way to make a living.
Elephants have been an important part of making that living for many
generations. What can they do if their source of livelihood is gone?
People buy wood from illegal sources – so the demand is
there. Tourists want to see elephants – to ride them, to see them do tricks,
even to see them draw pictures or play musical instruments – so the demand is
there.
Governments, I do believe, want to do the right thing – but they
are still learning and they are still developing ways of dealing with illegal
trades which involve elephants (and other animals).
And the West still has circuses and zoos where elephants are
held in small enclosures and made to perform tricks in front of audiences,
often without the company of their own species. For an animal who is
intelligent and social this would be hell on earth.
The good…
There is a lot of good being done to help elephants across
Asia and Africa. I mentioned some Africa-specific organisation in the last two blog
entries, so I’ll mention some Asian based ones here, as well as one from Kenya.
Boon Lott’s Elephant
Sanctuary (BLES)
Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary was founded by English woman,
Katherine Connor, in Thailand. Katherine was volunteering at an elephant
hospital in northern Thailand in 2003 when she met tiny Boon Lott. The story of
Katherine and Boon Lott is very moving and you can read it at How We Began.
BLES is now home to over a dozen elephants, as well as
abandoned cats, dogs, cows, and even a tortoise. Katherine and the mahouts at
BLES work in often tenuous situations to rescue elephants from terrible
conditions.
BLES also works with mahouts in Thailand to find ways to
better treat the elephants who work for them. BLES can’t save every elephant,
but by treating the mahouts and their families with respect, regardless of how
their elephants have been treated in the past, they are forming relationships
and opening up education opportunities that can only be positive for elephants
across Thailand.
I will be volunteering at BLES in May 2014, instead of
having a party for my fortieth. I can’t wait to meet Pang Saui, and all the
other elephants and animals, and, of course, Katherine and her human family.
Find out more at BLES
Save Elephant
Foundation
Save Elephant Foundation has numerous projects including one
based in Cambodia. The project in Cambodia is working
within the Cambodian Wildlife Sanctuary to conserve one million acres of jungle
habitat for, not only elephants, but native flora, tigers, monkeys and
buffalos. It is approximately one hour north of Angkor Wat.
To read more go to Save
Elephant Foundation.
Space for Giants
Space for Giants is a conservation charity registered in the
United Kingdom and Kenya and governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees.
Their focus is on the 10,000km2 Laikipia Plateau in Kenya,
but their hope is to provide a model for wildlife conservation across Africa
and even the rest of the world.
Find out more at Space
for Giants.
What You Can Do
- · Find out more about elephant sanctuaries and groups working for the benefit of elephants across the world – just search for “elephant sanctuaries” on the web and you’ll see just how many there are.
- · When you buy tree based products (e.g. wood products, paper) ask where the wood was grown. If the person you are asking doesn’t know, go somewhere else to shop.
- · Think carefully about riding elephants when on holiday or going to see elephants perform for your entertainment. If you do ride elephants or go to see elephants performing, ask questions – ask how many hours the elephants work, what their living conditions are like, and, especially if riding elephants, how much elephants are expected to carry.
- · Don’t support circuses with elephants (or tigers, bears and similar animals) in them, and don’t go to zoos which mistreat their animals or keep them in conditions that are harsh and detrimental to their health.
For an example of a circus without animals see Cirque de Soleil, and
for an example of a zoo where animals can be themselves visit the webpage of Monarto Zoo in South Australia.
Next time…
No elephants, but a really cool tribe in India…
Over to you…
Even a little bit of action makes a difference…
