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Come Share My Stories, Told Through Pictures As an amateur photographer and zoologist specializing in elephants, I wanted a place to display the photos that, to me, tell stories about me and about the majesty of nature. I also thought I could share a few stories with other elephant lovers and rescue organizations out there, in a shared effort to improve my own skills and help you improve the quality of life for these gentle giants. |
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| The Elephant Beyond Beast of Burden: Elephants in Thai Culture In war and peace, Asian elephants have been a talisman to Thailand for thousands of years. Smaller and gentler than their African counterparts, they were well-suited for carrying kings or cargo. Young elephants were caught wild, trained in camps, and taught to work with people and respond to commands. Not just beasts of burden, elephants were greatly loved and honored. Their image was emblazoned on the nation's (Siamese) flag, coins and Buddhist temples, representing strength, wisdom and victory. The king rode atop an elephant at the front of royal ceremonial processions. "The elephant has so much importance in Thai history," says Sangduen Chailert, founder of the Elephant Nature Park. "They saved our kingdom by helping our military to fight wars." When Thailand was called Siam, the country used elephants in warfare against neighboring Burma, like precursors to modern-day tanks. Colorful paintings show warriors charging into battle atop tusked elephants. At the turn of the 20th century, elephants were practically everywhere. Some 300,000 wild elephants roamed wild in Thailand alone, and 100,000 more were domesticated for farming and forestry. Each elephant enjoyed a special relationship with its trainer, or mahout. As logging increased, wild elephant numbers declined sharply. Domesticated elephant power was used to drag teak logs from the forest, demolishing the creatures' own habitat. By the late 1900s, Thailand's rain forest, which previously covered 90 percent of the country, had diminished to under 15 percent, with an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 wild elephants. In 1990, Thailand outlawed logging to preserve what forest remained. The law left thousands of domesticated elephants out of work, with no forest to return to. Elephants still play an important role in Thai culture. "The old Thai people really respect and believe the elephant is a magic animal," says Chailert. "For the new generation, the elephant is less important." To reverse the trend, she speaks at schools and universities about elephants, inspiring hope that they may again approach their former stature in people's eyes and in the natural world. |
Elephant Life, Past and Present The Sordid Underbelly of the Elephant World Like many endangered species, Asian elephants face habitat loss and illegal poaching. In Thailand, elephants also suffer a unique predicament: drug addiction, homelessness and unemployment. Before 1990, over 4,000 elephants had jobs pulling logs, carrying people and goods cross-country, dragging plows, and performing in ceremonies. When Thailand outlawed rain-forest logging in 1990, thousands of elephants were suddenly out of work. Each elephant owner had to find a way to feed his animal elephants can eat 500 pounds of food daily. Some owners turn to illegal logging, which became far more dangerous. Forcing the beasts of burden to work faster, loggers prod them with spears and hooks, and feed them bananas spiked with amphetamines. Many logging elephants become drug-addicted, exhausted and ill. Others take their elephants to beg from tourists. City elephants scavenge on discarded food and plants polluted from car fumes, and become malnourished. Public pressure forced the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority to ban elephants from entering the city. As with logging, the law discouraged some but forced others underground. Today, nearly 300 elephants still beg on the streets of Bangkok, a booming metropolis. By day, mahouts hide the elephants outside of town. At night, elephants plod along crowded freeways to get to tourism central. Some beg illegally, while many others work in entertainment and tourism the only legal use of domesticated elephants in Thailand today. Elephants carry people on rides, dance and perform in shows. Why not reintroduce the elephants to the wild? "There is not enough space in Thailand, or anywhere in south or Southeast Asia for releases," says Asian elephant expert Dr. Richard Lair. "Too bad, because well over half would probably adapt quite well." The few thousand elephants that remain truly wild live in disconnected nature preserves and mountaintops around the country, and males are still massacred for their ivory tusks. Despite the disheartening situation, Lair and a handful of others have initiated innovative projects that bring a ray of hope for elephant conservation in Thailand. |
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As this picture demonstrates, elephants throughout Asia are often used for work, even in highly conjested cities. |
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