Elephant Tragedy

[arsenal]

I rode an elephant many years ago in Phuket and vowed never to do so again.. A wise decision.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-35466237

[cdnmatt]

Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

Also, while we're on the topic, I'm sure we've all seen people packing an elephant around the city streets, selling bags of cucumbers to feed it. Please don't feed the elephants. They're babies -- they're supposed to be in the jungle with their mom, not being hauled around the city streets as a tourist attraction.

[scottish-guy]

Without seeking to minimise in any way the death of this unfortunate Scottish tourist (or indeed the risks of going elephant trekking) - I'd hazard a guess that trying to cross Surawong Road presents an equal or higher danger of mortality (not to mention the frequently deadly combo of a Thai bg/gf and any apartment over 2 floors from the ground).

A bizarre aside - almost unbelievably, Scotland have been World Champions in Elephant Polo a couple of times in the last decade or so and also winners of the Thailand King's Cup on more than one occassion. The World Elephant Polo Association Committee has on its board His Grace 13th Duke of Argyll, Torquhil Ian Campbell

Since anybody over 5 foot in Scotland is considered a giant and polo is not exactly our national sport, I''ve long been bemused by how Scotland ended up in the elite of that sport and why "we" seem attracted to elephants

[christianpfc]

I have never felt the desire to ride an elephant (or horse, or any other animal), thus I have never done so and even if a veterinarian confirms that the elephant is kept in the best possible conditions, I will not do so.


Also, while we're on the topic, I'm sure we've all seen people packing an elephant around the city streets, selling bags of cucumbers to feed it. Please don't feed the elephants. They're babies -- they're supposed to be in the jungle with their mom, not being hauled around the city streets as a tourist attraction.
That's very rare nowadays, I recall only 3 cases in all my traveling. They are indeed baby elephants, but they are not fed cucumbers, but bananas! (This once again leaves me scratching my head: cdnmatt, have you ever seen an elephant in the streets of Thailand, have you spend extensive time in Thailand?)

[PeterUK]

Scottish-guy, there's more to this Scotland/elephant connection than perhaps you realise. Did you know, for instance, that elephants love the sound of bagpipes? Not entirely surprising, I suppose, since there is a certain nerve-tingling similarity between the wailing of bagpipes and trumpeting of elephants. Here's a clip of some guys in kilts wishing elephants a happy birthday on the bagpipes - not a sight you see every day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czZ6wOYfmqg

[cdnmatt]

I really don't know if it's still prevalent or not, but it was 2 years ago. These days though, I'm basically never in town during the evenings, so wouldn't know. Couple years ago, it was a nightly occurence within the main city streets though.

And not sure what to tell you, but yes, here at least they sold bags of cucumbers to feed them. I guess cucumbers are probably cheaper than bananas. Here, I even Googled it for you. Not sure about you, but that looks like a baby elephant eating cucumbers to me.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5078208105_7f48d258bd_b.jpg

Now would you please get off my back? You act as if I owe you something, which I don't. Piss off.

[Oliver]

I haven't seen this for many years, fortunately.
There is certainly a greater awareness among tourists nowadays. My boyfriend and I were in Chiang Mai last week and wanted to visit what could be termed an "ethical" centre for rescued elephants....no riding , no silly shows etc. There were a number of such places available to visit but even some of those, we were informed, were not entirely trustworthy.

[lego]

Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

That's a harsh, insensitive and also plain dumb thing to say. In the case of a tourist being killed by an elephant, I'd assume that the tourist in question is simply uninformed in the sense that they don't know about the horrors such an elephant has gone through. I fail to see the bad karma that tourist, compared with those who inflict the "training" or profit from it, has accrued.

[cdnmatt]

Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

That's a harsh, insensitive and also plain dumb thing to say. In the case of a tourist being killed by an elephant, I'd assume that the tourist in question is simply uninformed in the sense that they don't know about the horrors such an elephant has gone through. I fail to see the bad karma that tourist, compared with those who inflict the "training" or profit from it, has accrued.

Because it's common sense -- elephants don't like to be ridden. I don't get sympathy points for being a retard, so why would anyone else?

Horses like to be ridden. They think it's great fun when someone jumps on their back, and takes them for a ride. Elephants, not so much. People should learn that before they decide it's a good idea to jump on the back of one.

[thaiguest]

Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

That's a harsh, insensitive and also plain dumb thing to say. In the case of a tourist being killed by an elephant, I'd assume that the tourist in question is simply uninformed in the sense that they don't know about the horrors such an elephant has gone through. I fail to see the bad karma that tourist, compared with those who inflict the "training" or profit from it, has accrued.

Because it's common sense -- elephants don't like to be ridden. I don't get sympathy points for being a retard, so why would anyone else?

Horses like to be ridden. They think it's great fun when someone jumps on their back, and takes them for a ride. Elephants, not so much. People should learn that before they decide it's a good idea to jump on the back of one.
The extreme process of "breaking" an elephant (as opposed to a horse for instance) is no doubt due to the fact that an angry adult elephant can kill a human at will whereas a horse will take flight or cause death by accident.
There are some vintage videos out there showing the process of wild baby elephant breaking and you would need the stomach of a lion to watch them through to the end. (I don't know if it's done to captive juveniles).
The utter relentless torture goes on for days with nothing involved except piercing the caged-bound creature with prodding stick hooks in the most sensitive parts of the body by a rotation of screaming groups of men. The death rate is high but that doesn't seem to matter. There is no carrot/stick element involved as in lion taming. No reponse is rewarded nor even allowed.
So in a way Karma can be visited on an unsuspecting innocent tourist who happens to be given one of these animals as a mount.

[Tobi]

I don't get sympathy points for being a retard...

I feel sorry for you sometimes.

[thaiguest]

Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

That's a harsh, insensitive and also plain dumb thing to say. In the case of a tourist being killed by an elephant, I'd assume that the tourist in question is simply uninformed in the sense that they don't know about the horrors such an elephant has gone through. I fail to see the bad karma that tourist, compared with those who inflict the "training" or profit from it, has accrued.

Because it's common sense -- elephants don't like to be ridden. I don't get sympathy points for being a retard, so why would anyone else?

Horses like to be ridden. They think it's great fun when someone jumps on their back, and takes them for a ride. Elephants, not so much. People should learn that before they decide it's a good idea to jump on the back of one.
The extreme process of "breaking" an elephant (as opposed to a horse for instance) is no doubt due to the fact that an angry adult elephant can kill a human at will whereas a horse will take flight or cause death by accident.
There are some vintage videos out there showing the process of wild baby elephant breaking and you would need the stomach of a lion to watch them through to the end. (I don't know if it's done to captive juveniles).
The utter relentless torture goes on for days with nothing involved except piercing the caged-bound creature with prodding stick hooks in the most sensitive parts of the body by a rotation of screaming groups of men. The death rate is high but that doesn't seem to matter. There is no carrot/stick element involved as in lion taming. No reponse is rewarded nor even allowed.
So in a way Karma can be visited on an unsuspecting innocent tourist who happens to be given one of these animals as a mount.

[cdnmatt]

Yep, and I'll stick with what I said. Don't ride an elephant. It's about as brilliant as hopping on the back of a lion, and trying to give it a test spin. It's one of those things you just don't do, so my apologies, but I don't feel sorry for the tourist who got trampled on. I didn't have to get taught to not jump on the back of an elephant, but for some reason, I know that's probably not a very wise decision.

And yeah, I know how torturous their upbringing can be. It's beyond inhumame.

[Tobi]

It's a scam, just another way to extort baht from unsuspecting tourists, claiming you "damaged" the elephant.

[lego]

Yep, and I'll stick with what I said. Don't ride an elephant. It's about as brilliant as hopping on the back of a lion.
Nobody said its a good idea. Personally, I think you do much dumber things in Thailand, and still I wouldn't wish for you to be struck down by karma. Common sense vs common decency.

[cdnmatt]

Yep, and I'll stick with what I said. Don't ride an elephant. It's about as brilliant as hopping on the back of a lion.
Nobody said its a good idea. Personally, I think you do much dumber things in Thailand, and still I wouldn't wish for you to be struck down by karma. Common sense vs common decency.

Yes, because I'm sure if I got a knife in the neck due to meeting the wrong person, you would all be very sympathetic towards me.

I take my risks, as everyone has to do in life, but I'm not a complete retard when I do so. Hopping on the back of an elephant who doesn't know me isn't exactly on my list of priorities.

[thaiguest]

Yep, and I'll stick with what I said. Don't ride an elephant. It's about as brilliant as hopping on the back of a lion.
Nobody said its a good idea. Personally, I think you do much dumber things in Thailand, and still I wouldn't wish for you to be struck down by karma. Common sense vs common decency.

Yes, because I'm sure if I got a knife in the neck due to meeting the wrong person, you would all be very sympathetic towards me.

I take my risks, as everyone has to do in life, but I'm not a complete retard when I do so. Hopping on the back of an elephant who doesn't know me isn't exactly on my list of priorities.

I think hopping on the back of an abused elephant who doesn't know me (or fear me) is where the danger lies.
The torture by the prodding hook in the hands of a mahoot is no doubt imbedded in memory.
Elephants have a monopoly on elephantine memory I would think.

[francois]

Horses like to be ridden. They think it's great fun when someone jumps on their back, and takes them for a ride. Elephants, not so much. People should learn that before they decide it's a good idea to jump on the back of one.

Is that information straight from a horse's mouth or from a horse's ass?

Horseback riding is a dangerous activity causing far more deaths than from elephant riding.

[christianpfc]

And what about ponies, goats and sheep? Let's wait for latintop's expert opinion.

[Manforallseasons]

Its possible this topic is is ready for here:

[Tiktak63]

I read that the mahut is being charged over the death of the tourist. Not sure I agree with that though I bear in mind that I wasn't there and don't have all the facts regarding who did what. With the mahut being Burmese, does this impact in any possible repercussions for him or would he be treated with the same fairness as a Thai?

[thaiguest]

There's probably a bye-law set in stone which stipulates that if the Mahoot is Thai the elephant is guilty.