THAILAND: A refuge in northern Thailand provides a home for old, cripple and sick elephants

Record ID: 185225

  • Title: THAILAND: A refuge in northern Thailand provides a home for old, cripple and sick elephants
  • Date: 26th November 2007
  • Summary: (L!2) LAMPANG PROVINCE, THAILAND (NOVEMBER 20, 2007) (REUTERS) ELEPHANTS IN NURSERY CENTRE BLIND ELEPHANT CRIPPLED ELEPHANT LEANING ON POLE MAHOUTS LOOKING ON ELEPHANT IN CLINIC SICK ELEPHANT BEING TREATED IN ELEPHANT CLINIC VETERINARIAN INJECTING MEDICAL NEEDLE INTO ELEPHANT ELEPHANT BEING ADMITTED TO THE CLINIC VETERINARIAN PREPARING ANOTHER INJECTION (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) SITTIDET MAHASAWANGKUL, VETERINARIAN, SAYING: "We are the last home for the elephants. We accept every unwanted elephant. We take care of them until they die and they don't have to do any more work." ELEPHANT GEARS ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD ELEPHANTS WALKING PASSED THE GRAVEYARD (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) TUI SAIMON, MAHOUT CHIEF, SAYING: "We are alarmed every time when these elephants fall ill. We are always afraid that they'll died and we'll call the vet to help and we try as much as we can to keep them from falling sick." ELEPHANT WITH MAHOUT IN A STREAM ELEPHANT WALKING ON GRASS MAHOUT PREPARING BANANA FOR ELEPHANTS MAHOUT WHEELING OUT BANANAS ELEPHANTS AND MAHOUTS MAHOUT PREPARING CHAINS ON ELEPHANTS ELEPHANTS IN NURSERY CENTRE
  • Embargoed: 11th December 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA4QPROC7QXHBD9F1RSQHNAZGCG
  • Story Text: A former training centre for young elephants in Thailand's northern province of Lampang has now become a retirement centre for 30 elephants under the care of the Forest Industry Organization (FIO).
    These elephants are either sick, old or crippled, and are unable to walk or engage in hard labour.
    While some of the domesticated elephants are confiscated from illegal logging, some have become a danger to the people and community around them -- meaning they can no longer remain in the care of their owners and are sent to the centre.
    All of the elephants are cared for by 46 mahouts and veterinarians from the National Elephant Institute.
    The elephants in the retirement scheme are allowed to roam freely in a nearby mountainous jungle area of about 170 square kilometres (105 square miles), but sick and maimed elephants are kept around the nursery centre.
    Most of the elderly elephants suffer from minor injuries. The oldest elephant at the refuge is 70 years old.

    "We are the last home for the elephants. We accept every unwanted elephant. We take care of them until they die and they don't have to do any more work," Said Dr. Sittidet Mahasawangkul, centre's head veterinarian.
    Since the elephant centre opened 30 years ago, about 80 elephants have died in the camp.

    "We are alarmed every time when these elephants fall ill. We are always afraid that they'll died and we'll call the vet to help and we try as much as we can to keep them from falling sick," said Tui Saimon, head of the 35 mahouts who take care of the elephants.
    Thailand banned logging in the past 30 years, and many of the domesticated elephants which used to pull logs are left unwanted. Many were forced to travel long distances for work and were often mistreated.
    A lot of elephants from Thailand continue to pull logs near the border with Myanmar which is a key region for the country's lucrative timber industry.
    Many of them there are injured from unexploded landmines left behind from fighting between Myanmar and Thailand's ethnic minority armed forces.
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