Thailand: Elephants suffer as tourism drops amid coronavirus pandemic

Amidst coronavirus pandemic, reports indicate that elephants working in Thailand’s tourism sector risk being sold to zoos and illegal logging operations as cost of feeding m continues to mount. coronavirus pandemic has significantly reduced number of visitors that Thailand receives and this has resulted in elephants being left chained and underfed for long hours.

Facing renewed exploitation

 Even before virus and its negative impacts, life for elephants in Thailand was very stressful. According to reports due to abusive methods that are often practised in order to break m so that y may perform tricks for tourists or give rides for money. With  global ecomy paralyzed due to coronavirus and resulting lockdown, elephants have been unable to make any money for ir owners and reby t offsetting 300kg (660 pounds) of food a day needed by tusker to survive.

Organisations vocating for elephant rights have warned that hunger and threat of renewed exploitation may lie ahe for elephants in Thailand if thing is done for m.  As per reports, erapat Trungprakan, president of Thai Elephant Alliance Association has claimed that around 2,000 elephants are currently ‘unemployed’ to coronavirus pandemic and its Impact on tourism industry.

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erapat believes that if thing is done n elephants may start being used in illegal forest tre along Thai-Myanmar border. use of elephants in transport of wood would be in breach of a 30-year-old law banning ir use.

As per reports, slump for elephants began back in January. Chinese visitors that make up majority of Thailand’s 40 million tourists, decreased by 80 per cent. Thailand has reported 1,651 positive coronavirus cases but has mand to limit death toll to only 10. dely coronavirus pandemic has infected 802,512 worldwide and global death toll stands at 38,991.

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