Underweight Performing Elephants At Zoo Causes Public Outcry

A photo of a severely underweight elephant that was uploaded on Facebook
just last month has caused a public outcry among netizens. In actual fact, two out of the five elephants at the Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo in Thailand were found to be severely underweight. Despite their condition, they were still being forced to perform tricks for the visitors. Although the zoo staff had insisted that the elephants weren’t suffering from any health issues, netizens weren’t buying it.

Underweight Performing Elephants

The online backlash prompted the local authorities from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to inspect the zoo and the elephants. The zoo was found to hold a expired licence and the elephants were found to be have several missing teeth, which caused them to be unable to eat and were
therefore starved.

To remedy their plight, the zoo staff were ordered to allow the elephants to rest and figure out a plan to bring them to a healthy weight range through softer foods. “Thailand, like many other countries in the region, faces numerous challenges in detecting and suppressing the trafficking of its native wildlife,” Nuggehalli Jayasimha, managing director of Humane Society International (HSI) in India, stated. “Lack of strong animal welfare legislation and lack of regulation of zoos, circus and street performance has resulted in the suffering of elephants.”

You can do your part to help elephants abroad by remembering to always be an ethical tourist and by making a donation to HSI.