Bangkok street elephants in the news
From people living in the Sukhumvit area in Bangkok we have learned that there’s currently a lot of elephants walking the streets. They are even begging in front of the police office, although it’s forbidden by law! The Sydney Morning Herald wrote an article about it: “It’s tough in the concrete jungle” which you can read here.
When you see a street elephant, then realise that with buying food for the elephant you keep this problem alive. Elephants on the streets are illegal. When confronted with a street elephant in Thailand call National Park and Wildlife on 1362 (hotline) or 02 6514292 ext 733 to alarm them or ask a police officer to take measures.
On July 7 Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad wrote that the Thai government is taking action now to get the elephants of the Bangkok streets. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration together with several government institutions (Ministry of Natural resources Wildlife and Plants, The Forest Industry Organization, Dep. of Livestock Development, The Zoological Park Organization, Dep. of Local Administration and The City Police Headquarter) have formed a special Task Force Team to get the elephants of the street. The governor of Bangkok says the team consists of officers of the National Park Department, the mahouts of the Department of Forest Industry Development and the Bangkok police. Every night between 18:00 till 6:00 they are on alert in the centre of Bangkok. If they get a report about a street elephant, they have two trucks available to take them to a temporary accommodation in Chonburi.
Thai Newspaper Matichon wrote, that within an hour of the opening of the centre already a street elephant was reported in the Klongsan area. An officer of the centre went out there and arrested the mahouts. Hopefully more good news for the elephants from Bangkok shortly!
photo: Liesbeth Sluiter
