Pang Premchuenpanawan, a keeper from the Karen Elephant Experience, and her team embarked on a journey to bring back the elephants to their home village because of coronavirus.
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought collapse to tourism all across Thailand, funding ceased and keepers no longer had the resources to maintain the welfare of their elephants. The keepers waited several months with hopes that the situation would get better and was soon faced with the reality that it would not.
Pang finally decided, with the help of some friends, that they needed to go home and bring their elephants with them on what would become the biggest elephant migration in Thailand's history.
The great migration included hundreds of elephants from different sites moving across 100 miles. The journey would be long and difficult, especially since one elephant is still young. One little guy is only 4 months old who still walks a little floppily.
After 3 or 4 days, the animals will finally reach the mountains of Chiang Mai province. In the villages, the keepers will grow food for the animals and their families and be united with other rescued elephants.
The elephants' response? Smiles and noises telling everyone that they are happy to go home.
Disastrous Tourism Industry
Pang shares that due to the demand in the tourism industry, it took a toll on these majestic creatures. Still, some elephants continue to suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In other tourist sites, the elephants are chained with very little food left.
Pre-pandemic days, around 3000 elephants were employed in the Thai tourism industry. Locals took advantage of foreigners willing to pay big amounts of money just to interact with the animals.
Unlike many tourist photos, the industry has been accused of abuse and cruelty. One man, Uncle Eddy, is concerned that without work, mother elephants struggle to deliver their babies, and the babies would die without proper exercise.
He says that if things don't get better in a few months, his connections in Myanmar will allow him to take his 'elephants to work in the logging business there.'
Unfortunately, the local government doesn't offer much protection for the elephants.
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Safe Passage
Two days after Pang pass through a village, the locals chase them out fearing that they carried coronavirus with them. The team shares that they stopped at a river to rest since the elephants became 'very thirsty and it seemed the little one had no energy to walk.'
To the rescue was Lek Chailert, charity owner of Save Elephant Foundation, who funded the 'great migration.' She had previously worked with Pang's group in setting up ethical tourist camps, which have all disappeared because of the pandemic. She hopes that they can all start over 'to transform the entire industry.'
If it weren't for coronavirus, she shares, 'the elephants would be in the same place.' What the pandemic is doing is allowing elephant keepers and charities time to think, and give tourists time to reflect as well, on the reality of working elephants in the tourist industry.
On the third day, the great migration comes to an end as the elephants arrive safely and feast on a buffet prepared by villagers. Once captive, the elephants are free after their 3-day migration, and will hopefully face a better future.
