Dozens of elephants used to transport "liberated" tourists to Thailand after parks closed due to Coronavirus

The Maesa Elephant Camp is closed in Thailand due to the coronavirus. The good news is that free elephants will no longer carry tourists

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

In Thailand, due to the ongoing pandemic, the major parks are closed and no tourists can ride elephants anymore. Here then is that some managers have decided to permanently disassemble the saddles by announcing that, even after the end of the emergency, they will leave the animals free.

As the coronavirus epidemic continues to spread around the world, restrictive measures and fear, including in Thailand, are leading to a revenge for animals returning to freedom in their habitat. To the Maesa Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai, tourism has stopped since the Covid-19 emergency broke out, which forced the park to close its doors to all visitors.

Here the great attraction for tourists was the opportunity to go for a ride on elephants. Now, given the situation, the managers have removed the wooden and metal seats tied on the rear of the animals. And so far nothing strange. The good news is that the Maesa Elephant Camp has already announced that its 78 elephants, even after the crisis, will no longer carry tourists. The animals will continue to live free inside the park and visitors will be able to observe them in their natural habitat but no longer climb on them to take traditional walks.

This will happen for the first time in 44 years. This was declared by the Director of Maesa Elephant Camp, Kalampichit, to the Independent:

“Since we entered the business in 1976, riding elephants has always been a favorite activity for tourists. But as the coronavirus spread, there were fewer tourists and the government eventually ordered us to close, so we removed the chairs to free the elephants. We are not planning to put the seat supports back on the elephants, although we will be able to operate again. We want to change the style of the place and find more natural ways for the public to enjoy the elephants. We will welcome visitors who want to have fun learning about elephant lifestyles in a natural way rather than using them to entertain tourists "

Words that hearten us and that, once again, show us how the coronavirus it is not only bringing pain and suffering but it is also revealing itself an opportunity to change for the better.

However, these elephants continue to take risks due to the economic difficulties resulting from the closure of the park. With all activities suspended and no entry from tourists, the owners begin to have less and less availability to take care of the animals and also of the staff who work inside the park.

“But we will not leave anyone behind and we will try to take maximum care of the elephants for as long as possible. We are now planting vegetables for staff to eat in order to reduce expenses, ”said the director.

However, there are those who are not optimistic at all: Theerapat Trungprakan, president of the Thai Elephant Alliance Association, in a statement to the New York Times, has shown himself convinced that, unless the government offers financial support to help these parks to feed and caring for their elephants, many may be forced back to the streets or sold illegally.

Sources of reference: Independent / New York Times