Survival crisis after unemployment in Thai elephants: The owner lives for a reward, and some have been sold to fight the gangsters

Polar News reporter Manda

Intern Luo Yan

The lens in the live broadcast room was filled with a basket with fruit. The elephant moved not far away, and the owner asked for rewards in the comment area. Once the bounty is received, these fruits will become an elephant food.

On Tiktok and YouTube platforms, there are many such elephants active in the live broadcast, and the owner calls them "unemployed elephants".

According to statistics from official Thailand, the country has about 3200 to 4,000 laps. Many elephants have previously been active in various tourist attractions in Thailand and earn income for the owner by performing.

However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the Thai tourism industry fell into stagnation, and the owner brought them back to the countryside, but he was unable to support these amazing eaten elephants. As a result, many owners can only rely on live broadcasts to make rewards and earn me hassley food costs.

Earlier, there were foreign media reports that because they were unable to feed these "unemployed elephants", some owners even sold elephants to the forest farm to transport wood, and according to Thai law, this was illegal.

Open live to attract netizens to reward "Cloud Town Hey"

Elephant Live Room (source: YouTube)

Live lens facing rural Thailand with bananas, sugar cane and other crops. The table in front of the camera was filled with 10 plastic baskets with fruits such as bananas, pineapples, sugar cane, and the elephant shakes the tail in the shed not far away, Hanging his nose and attracting netizens to watch by selling cute. The owner of the elephant released a bank account in the comment area, saying that the elephant was "unemployed elephant", and called the onlookers as "father" or "mother". fee.

1,000 baht entered the account, the host of the elephant got up and came to the camera to thank him, then put 10 baskets of fruits in the basin one by one, and then brought the pot to the elephant. Please eat the elephant.

On September 23, in a live broadcast room of YouTube, the owner of an elephant finally waited for a revenue for nearly two hours.

On Tiktok and YouTube platforms, many such elephants are active in live broadcasts. Their owners even frequently entered the live broadcast room of other elephants, asking netizens to move their live broadcast room in the comment area to give their elephant award.

Master's comment area for reward (source: YouTube)

"Moje (Great Elephant Name) lost his job in Pattaya and stayed in Sulin Mansion." "Moms, pity it." ...

Unstable income is difficult to maintain livelihood

Bangtaches Nong Village, located in Tunpun County, a northeast of Thailand, is a well -known "Elephant Village" in Thailand. For a long time, this is also the trade collection center of elephants.

According to Reuters, the girl who lives in the village Siriporn Sapmak is 23 years old and has been taking care of the elephant since she went to school. At present, she earns living expenses for herself and elephants by broadcasting two elephants she raised on social network platforms.

SAPMAK is live (picture source: the national thailand)

Sapmak said she lived on Tiktok and YouTube for several hours a day, and she could raise about 1,000 baht (about $ 27.46). However, these money is only enough to feed these two elephants for one day. If no one is rewarding, the elephant will not be full.

Before the epidemic, the Sapmak family leaned against Pattaya, Thailand for elephant performances to make money. In addition, they earn additional income by selling fruits.

Due to the epidemic cause, the local tourism industry was almost stagnant, and the Sapmak family had to return to his hometown like other elephant owners in Thailand.

For SAPMAK, live broadcast rewards are also helpless. Although it is a new source of income, it is very unstable.

"We hope that tourists can come back as soon as possible. In that case, we don't need to do such live broadcasts. In addition, if we can return to work, we will have a stable income to buy feds to feed elephants." Sapmak said.

Government intervention can relieve elephant livelihood issues

According to government official data, Thailand has about 3200-4000 circles to raise elephants, and there are about 3,500 wild elephants.

Because of the epidemic, many of the nursing elephants that have previously performed "unemployment".

The BBC previously reported that some elephants may be sold to the zoo, or the owner was sold to the forest farm to transport wood. According to the laws of Thailand, the country has banned the use of elephants to transport wood since 1989.

This month, in the province of climbing in southern Thailand, an elephant tears its owner in half with an ivory. Police suspected that the elephant had a big temper because the owner let it move rubber wood under the scorching sun.

Edwin Victor, the founder of the Foundation of the Foundation of the Wildlife Foundation in Thailand, estimates that before more tourists return, Thailand has at least 1,000 elephant owners without sufficient source of income.

Victor believes that the Ministry of Animal Husbandry Development in Thailand needs to increase budgets to help these animals maintain their livelihood. "Otherwise, I think it is difficult for most families to feed elephants," he said.

Elephant in the live room (picture source: the nation thailand)

"We are like family members. Without them, we don't know what our future will be. Because of them, we have today's life." Sapmak's60 -year -old mother said.

According to the Ministry of Animal Husbandry Development, which raised elephants in the regulatory circle, since 2020, the government has transported 500,000 kilograms of grass to many provincial government to help feed elephants. The Thai Wildlife Protection Association said that elephants eat 150-200 kg of food a day. However, the Sapmak family said they did not get any help from the government.

Soravit Tenito, Director -General of the Development Department of the Animal Husbandry Development, said this is a national big problem. He said that the government plans to support elephant and its breeders, "it will propose measures and budgets to the cabinet, but it does not give specific time planning.

The government expects Thailand to receive 10 million foreign tourists this year. However, considering the relevant costs, this may not be enough to attract the owners to bring the elephant back to the tourist attractions to perform again.

"Who can guarantee that the elephant performance industry is really resurrected and can help them earn income?" Victor said.

He is expected to increase the pressure of their owners in the next year, with more circles of elephants.

"Sometimes we have income, and sometimes we don't, which means that we don't have enough money to maintain our lives. I can't see any hope." Sapmak's mother said.

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