BANGKOK (ANN/THE NATION) – World Animal Protection (WAP), a leading global animal welfare organisation, has shed light on the alarming plight of wild animals worldwide. Their recent research reveals staggering numbers: an estimated 5.5 billion creatures from 487 species are enduring cruel captivity conditions.
Among the most exploited are bears – black bears, sun bears, and grizzly bears – extensively farmed across regions like China, Vietnam, and South Korea for their bile, highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. Meanwhile, lions face similar exploitation, primarily in South Africa, where they are bred for both tourism and medicinal purposes.
Elephants, though not bred for body parts, suffer exploitation in the tourism industry, painting a grim picture of the global situation for wildlife.
“These are long-lived, intelligent animals that are farmed or bred in captivity for arguably the most frivolous of industries: the wildlife entertainment industry,” WAP global campaigns director Nick Stewart told British media outlet the Daily Mail.
As tourists pay large sums of money to take part in elephant riding or bathing experiences, WAP researchers believe that the 2,798 captive elephants in Thailand generate between USD581 million and USD770 million (THB20,805-27,575) each year.
With the price of a single elephant at USD50,000 (THB1.7 million), poaching and cross-border smuggling of wild elephants has been incentivised.
With the industry recently pivoting towards more captive breeding, the number of captive elephants in Thailand increased by 134 per cent between 2010 and 2020.
WAP has also unveiled footage captured between 2018 and 2020, showing the unfortunate behaviour of Thai mahouts’ when training a baby elephant using chains, ropes, bullhooks, sticks, and even nails to meet the demands of the tourism industry.
“The abuse is so bad that some researchers have suggested that many Thai elephants suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder,” Stewart said.
Instead of blaming Thai mahouts, the WAP global campaigns director pointed out that the tourism industry should be blamed for creating the demand for elephants that can safely be used for rides, shows, and tourist attractions.
WAP advises that the Thai government ban captive elephant breeding and help elephant parks transition into cruelty-free tourist attractions that can make use of mahouts’ knowledge.
“It all comes back to this idea that animals born in captivity can be exploited more easily,” Stewart said. “We need to end this exploitation of wild animals whether it’s legal or illegal.”
