An elephant eats 8% of its body weight per day. If it weighs 3 tonnes, it eats 240kg of plants daily. Food for an elephant costs around 40,000 baht per month, which means a daily spending of over 1,000 baht, and we are not even talking about fancy food here.
"Caring for elephants is a massive job. It requires a lot of funding," said Dr Nissa Mututanont, veterinarian at the Chiang Rai-based Anantara Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF). The foundation was set up in 2006 and has since been operated under the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort.
To raise funds for the foundation's projects to improve the livelihood of not just Thai elephants but those of Myanmar, Cambodia and Africa, Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas is hosting the annual King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, which kicks off tomorrow. Now in its 15th edition, the tournament has raised over 50 million baht, which goes to various projects that help rescue and provide a better life for the wild and domesticated elephant population, including but not limited to the Thai Elephant Assisted Autistic Therapy Project, positive-reinforcement elephant-training workshops, mahout community development initiatives and wild elephant conservation.
According to the 2015 figures from the National Elephant Health Service and Research Institute under the Department of Livestock Development's Bureau of Disease Control and Veterinary Services, Thailand was reported to have around 4,700 domesticated elephants. The number of wild elephants is, however, quite difficult to officially record but the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation estimated 3,500 to 4,000 wild elephants last year. The country also saw around a 7% rise in the number of wild elephants from 2016-17.
The rising numbers seem to show an improved situation for Thai elephants across the country, but according to Dr Nissa, certain elephant camps and communities that earn their living by keeping the world's largest land mammals for tourism purposes are still struggling with animal activists, as well as with tourists who accuse them of animal cruelty and barbarous elephant training, especially in the past few years. But in Dr Nissa's opinion, elephant training is vital although there are actually several approaches to it.
"Training does not always equate to cruelty," said the veterinarian. "If elephants are not trained at all, we will not be able to assist them when they fall sick. They will not be familiarised with humans. They will not get to learn anything about humans. And thus when the time comes, we will not be able to help them at all."
Training elephants for entertaining acts or circus shows still exists, admitted Dr Nissa. But such a wicked action must not be used as a generalisation when it comes to the issue of elephant training in Thailand.
"Before we blame someone, we should get the whole picture first. Elephants that you see in tourism are mostly domesticated elephants, not wild elephants being forced to work. Many camps use a gentle approach to train them. Sometimes elephants even play at their own will. So seeing cruel training once and blaming all elephant training as brutal is indeed a wrong assumption."
At GTAEF, Dr Nissa together with science officers and other staff have implemented "positive reinforcement" approach to elephant training. This means the pachyderms will be rewarded once they can do as asked. Basic training includes teaching them to lift their legs so that a veterinarian can examine their nails, feet and perform other necessary medical procedures.
Most importantly, all aspects of the training must match elephant physiology, the doctor explained. Activities that go against it -- things that involve forcing or injuring the animals -- must never be practised. "It takes some time to make elephants understand that what we do for them is not meant to harm them."
GTAEF also works closely with the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort in organising elephant-related activities for hotel guests.
The foundation's 22 elephants are encouraged to work six to seven hours a day in several of the hotel's programmes such as "Walking With Giants", where guests can walk with elephants for two hours to gain a deeper natural and emotional connection; and "Elephant Learning Experience", a one-hour presentation enabling customers to learn more about GTAEF and the importance of elephant conservation.
Part of the proceeds from these activities goes to the foundation itself. But the real objective is not monetary gain. Most elephants that are currently under the care of the foundation were rescued from Tha Tum district of Surin province. There they face poor living conditions. Elephants have very little chance to walk. The areas face severe drought and inadequate food. Elephants and mahouts are paid to work only occasionally, such as when an ordination ceremony takes place. So earnings for mahouts are very unstable, forcing them to let elephants roam on the street to beg.
So the foundation has adopted these elephants on a lease basis which means instead of buying an elephant from a mahout and just paying him a lump sum, the foundation sort of rents out the elephant. Both the animal and her mahout are asked to have a paid job at the 400 rai camp where both can at least have a better life.
"Adopting elephants for the foundation and allowing them to work means more income for the mahouts, and the elephants are less stressed. It's also a solution to street begging," explained Dr Nissa.
Thailand's big tourist cities like Bangkok and Pattaya have seen fewer street elephants during the past years, thanks partly to the Beasts of Burden Act (1939), which does not allow vehicle animals like elephants, horses, buffalo or donkeys to roam the streets. But playing a huge role in ending street elephants is social media monitoring, said Dr Nissa.
"During the past few years, social media has been very active in reporting such cases. When people see elephants being part of street begging, they take photos and post them on social media. When the word spread, more people lent a helping hand and the culprits were arrested quickly. Mahouts and elephant owners are therefore afraid of doing so because if they are arrested, not only are they fined; the animals will also be seized until true ownership can be verified."
GTAEF's immediate plans, according to Dr Nissa, are to continue working for not only the mammals but also mahouts and their communities. There is this ongoing project, for instance, wherein foreign teachers are sent to spend time with the younger mahouts in Ban Ta Klang Elephant Village in Surin to advise them of their other career options. This, added Dr Nissa, is one way to fix elephant issues in Thailand in the long run.
"We need to throw inspiration into the communities of the mahouts. Of course, we help train them to work with elephants nicely, with methods such as positive-reinforcement training. But at the same time, these mahouts and the younger generation should be pointed to the bigger world outside their neighbourhood. They should see there are many more things they can do than just being a mahout. And when they see that the world is changing, their mindset will also change."
The Annual King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament runs from March 8-11 at the King's Cup Elephant Polo pitch located at Soi Charoen Nakhon 57/1. Entrance fee is 200 baht per person per day. Proceeds are donated to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF). Call 02-476-0022.
Around 25 elephants will be relocated from Surin for the Annual King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament which runs from March 8-11 at Soi Charoen Nakhon 57/1. They will be transported back their hometown right after the competition to participate in parades to mark National Elephant Day on March 13. Photo courtesy of Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spa
