Elephant calf ‘collapses with exhaustion’ while chained to its mother giving rides to tourists in Thailand
- Clip shows animal, believed to be age one, attached to mother by length of rope
- Elephant calf rolled on the ground as temperature approached 40C in Pattaya
- Incident was filmed by concerned tourist at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens
An elephant calf reportedly collapsed with exhaustion while chained to its mother as she gave rides to tourists in eastern Thailand last week.
The animal, believed to be around a year old, was attached to its mother by the neck with a length of rope in Pattaya.
In the clip, filmed by a concerned tourist, onlookers can be heard saying ‘oh no he’s tired’ as the baby rolls on the ground as temperatures approached 40C.
He then stands up and scampers away to keep up with the adult at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.
This elephant calf, believed to be around a year old, was filmed after reportedly collapsing with exhaustion
The animal was chained to its mother who was giving tourists rides in Pattaya, eastern Thailand. A concerned tourist filmed the baby elephant rolling along the ground
According to the tourist, who refused to be named, the baby elephant appeared to be exhausted from walking around the area collecting tourists who pay to ride its mother.
She said: ‘There are many more baby elephants tied with their mother walking around with tourists at their backs enjoying under the heat of the sun while these elephants are suffering.
‘This one baby elephant was so exhausted, and you can see the mother comforting and encouraging her to stand.’
The tourist is a Filipino migrant worker in Thailand’s neighbouring country Myanmar where she is a teacher.
She was with friends spending their vacation in the area when the incident happened.
In the clip, he then stands up and scampers away to keep up with the adult at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens, who have denied that the elephant was tired or mistreated
The tourist added: ‘I’m just concerned for the elephants and want to ensure their welfare is properly taken care of.’
A spokesman for the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens today denied that the elephant was tired or being mistreated.
They said: ‘All of the elephants are healthy and treated very well. If there is a problem they are treated by vets. All of the babies here are healthy.’
Earlier this month a baby elephant nicknamed Dumbo died at a show in Phuket, southern Thailand, became so skeletal its back legs snapped while performing.
The three-year-old animal, who was forced to perform up to three times a day, was pictured looking emaciated and was suffering from an infection before he collapsed.
His keepers took him to a veterinary clinic on April 17 where a scan showed that he had broken both of his back legs, and he died three days later.