That was the claim of a Chiang Mai councillor yesterday, who says that over 20 elephants and their mahouts (handlers) have been forced out of the city by the police. Speaking exclusively to MyChiangMai on condition of using a pseudonym, Khun ‘Sarm’ said that on December 28th most of the mahouts were rounded up and taken to Mae Ping police station. During a 7 hour meeting, they were told they were breaking the law as well as harming the elephants and causing road safety hazards, and given 2 days to leave or be arrested, fined heavily and possibly jailed. Almost all the mahouts complied and organised trucks to move their animals, most returning to their home province of Surin where the Governor has a programme to pay them to stay.
Twenty-four hours later, only 2 elephants were still being paraded around tourist areas, mahouts begging for money to feed them. (Some mahouts have been ‘earning’ up to 8,000b per night and using mobile phones between them to avoid police). Khun ‘Sarm’ said that after a police ‘reminder’, the last 2 also left hastily for Surin, where they claim the Governor’s grant is not enough for them and their animals to live on.
Chiang Mai’s clean up comes some months after a similar, successful operation in Bangkok, and when MyChiangMai questioned business operators in the Night Bazaar and Thapae Gate areas, all agreed that no elephant begging teams had been since since New Year’s Eve. Editor’s Note: The clean-up comes only weeks after a mahout appeared in court accused of attacking a young Australian couple with his metal hook after they complained of his treatment of an elephant. On the same day, Save Elephant Foundation director Sangduen ‘Lek’ Chailert and supporters presented a petition of over 100,000 signatures to the provincial Governor, protesting elephant begging.
An elephant at the Pinnawela elephant orphanage died under tragic circumstances, allegedly due to injuries caused by its caretakers’ spear, an official said today.
Two mahouts and an Animal Protection Officer at the Orphanage were suspended from service following the death of the elephant at the orphanage, Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage Director S. Gunaratne said.
Last November the same elephant ‘Neelagiri’ had been injured by spear strikes from several other mahouts, initial investigations revealed. (Karunaratne Atukorala, Rohana Kumara)
Zoos and parks across China will be banned from putting up shows of animal performances for extra profits, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said in a notice. The notice explains while China's zoo industry has experienced rapid development, a few profit-driven zoos were found improperly caring for the animals or even involved in gross neglect in some cases. It stipulates that a disciplining of the industry will be carried out and a variety of animal performances must be stopped in three months. Restaurants in zoos and parks are also prohibited from offering food cooked with wild animal meat. The illegal selling of wild animal products is strictly prohibited, said the notice. Meanwhile, the notice prohibits the commercial use of land in zoos so that more green spaces can be restored to the public.
Join our charity bike ride for the survival of Thai elephants!
The weekend of the 15th and 16th of January 2011 we invite you to join our ‘Bike for Elephants’ tour in Northern Thailand. Two days of adventure and fun biking through the Mae Tang valley, in Chiang Mai province.
This event will raise much needed funds for the Elephant Nature Park and create awareness about the plight of Thai elephants. The Elephant Nature Park, in a beautiful mountain range north of Chiang Mai, is a safe home to rescued elephants that were previously abused and neglected.
The route: Tour de Chang
January 15, 2011
About 50 km, route is suitable for average bikers.
We will start at the Mae Rim Lagoon Resort with the briefing and biking and safety instructions. Through the mountains we will cycle towards the Elephant Nature Park, where we will camp on Saturday night. Here you will not only have a chance to refresh in the river while washing liberated elephants, but also to learn about natural elephant behavior and to see how their money will be spent. We will set up our tents in the Elephant Nature Park, have an early night and wake up with the sounds of elephants!
January 16, 2011 About 40 km, some climbing at the start of the route, route is suitable for average bikers.
After breakfast and group photo of bikers and elephants, we will climb one hill to get out of the Elephant Nature Park valley. We will cycle through mountains and rice fields, until the finish at one of the most beautiful and unknown waterfalls of Thailand: Bua Tong Waterfall. We will set up a small picnic near the waterfall, where we have a chance to share experiences, have drinks, snacks, relax and cool down under the waterfall after all the hard work.
Start your teamJoin this event by starting a team with any of your social network. It’s a great team building event and fun and healthy way to do something good for the world! A team needs to have at least 4 and maximum 10 members. As a team you will receive your own page on our website to help you with online fundraising. Your team will set your own target for the fundraising efforts, but a minimum amount of 5,000 baht per person is required.
Or join the Bring the Elephant Home team!Individual bikers are very welcome to join the Bring the Elephant Home team. Please fill in the register form at this website. You pay for the costs of the event, 2,500 baht pp – excl mountain bike (or 3,300 baht pp incl mountain bike, helmet and water bottle) and raise a minimum of 5,000 baht per person to support the Elephant Nature Park.
This fee includes safety instructions, a Bike for Elephants t-shirt, all meals and drinks and camping at the Elephant Nature Park. Also included: elephant feeding, bathing, elephant morning walk, a lot of new impressions, friends and an experience you won’t forget.
The teams will set their own target for their fundraising efforts, but a minimum amount of 5,000 baht per person is required.
Or transfer your donation to the bank account of Bring the Elephant Home:
Account number: 505-2-36520-6 (Siam City Bank – Chang Klan branch) of Bring the Elephant Home in Chiang Mai. Click here for branches of Siam City Bank in Thailand.
From November 2010 on, Bring the Elephant Home will manage and finance the Elephant Jungle Project of the Elephant Nature Park. A beautiful piece of 150 acre mountainous land, surrounded by protected forest, and with some streams running through it, that we will turn into a true elephant jungle.
With the support of Bring the Elephant Home, the Elephant Nature Park was able to buy the new land in 2009. The land was mainly used for cabbage plantations, so most of the forest disappeared (see photo top left).
In the last two years, we managed to remove the plantations, analyze the condition of the soil and we have started to restore the forest. We have improved the road, built bathrooms, fixed the existing wooden house and installed water pipes. In the coming years we still have to plant many more trees that will attract birds and other wild animals, this way the natural seed distributors will automatically visit our land from the neighboring forests, and plant more tree species for us.
Our dream is that soon some elephants can live in this jungle in freedom, without much interaction with people. Besides respect for all animals, the project also respects the environment and the local community. We are establishing a way of life that is self sufficient, sustainable and in harmony with the environment. We will cultivate elephant food, and our own food, we create our own energy, save seeds, restore the forest, increase biodiversity and provide a nature conservation education center to inspire people to protect wildlife and nature. Students, volunteers and other interested people can join the project to work, learn and have fun together. Click more for details about the project and a photo report of the progress so far.
Objectives:
To create an elephant jungle where elephants can live like wild elephants.
To create a new model of living with elephants.
To extend elephant habitat and create more biodiversity.
To create more knowledge about reforestation in elephant habitat.
To educate and inspire local and international young people in sustainable living, reforestation, conservation and animal protection.
Elements of the project:
Reforestation
Sustainable building and energy
Organic gardens and herbal medicine
Community development
Nature conservation education and participation
Reforestation
To germinate and plant 10,000 seedlings of 20 - 30 tree species a year; research of elephant food plants and tree planting methods, tree maintenance and a reforestation nature trail. Our goal is to replant the natural habitation and grow enough organic and diverse food for the elephants.Sustainable building and energy
Sustainable building and energy
To create a lifestyle which is self sufficient, sustainable and in harmony with the environment. As much as possible we would like to use natural / environmental friendly construction materials, which are locally available, natural and need little energy for our construction work (like Adobe, straw, clay, bamboo, stone and second-hand materials). We will use solar energy, use rain water, filter own drinking water, grow our own organic vegetables and herbs, make our own soap, shampoo, natural pesticide and elephant dung fertilizer.
Organic gardens and herbal medicine
Establish an herbal medicine nature trail, research about herbal medicine for both people and elephants; grow our own herbs, document data to create a traditional herbal medicine dictionary and use herbs in our daily lives.
Community development
To work together with the local people, improve their environment, generate income, educate the youth in sustainable living and conservation.
We will collect seeds of native tree species and of edible plants. We can provide them to local villagers, they grow elephant food and we buy it to create income for them. This way the farmers are also stimulated to grow organic and to have more different species on the land, instead of mono crops. We hope to encourage the idea of saving and collecting seeds to the local people. We would also like to create a seed fund for local people who collect seeds of frame work species for us.
Nature conservation education and participation
Education about seed collection, germination methods and relevant tree species for elephant conservation; create a nature trail with signs to recognize framework tree species and herbal medicine, create our seed collection and germination schedule; model of sustainable living, organize educational programs. Volunteers can join our project and contribute to elephant conservation by joining our activities, such as tree planting, tree maintenance, seed and herbs collecting, nursery work, germinate and plant elephant food plants, organic gardening.
