Renewed Call to End Abusive Animal Tourism in Thailand After Elephant Attacks, Kills Tourist

Last week in Thailand,  a British tourist  was thrown, gored, and trampled to death by an elephant he was “riding” during a trek on the island of Koh Samui.  The media attention gained by this incident has increased pressure on the Thai government to take action against the country’s inarguably inhumane animal attractions.

These lucrative tourist traps have long skirted the enforcement of existing animal welfare regulations, likely due to their massive, misguided appeal among the millions who visit Thailand each year.

Hence the blind eye cast upon the brutal “training” methods used to subdue and coerce elephants and other wild animals  into performing, giving rides, and posing for pictures with the sightseers who prop up this ugly trade—and who are wrongly led to believe that the cost of their tickets help to support wildlife conservation.

Paying to partake in such attractions not only puts humans in immediate danger, as last week’s tragedy reminds us; it also amounts to a financial vote in favor of the psychological and physical torture of sentient wild animals.

Read more here.